


What Kind Of Machine Loves Like This?

by ValkyrieShepard



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Androids, Angst, Bottom Hank, Fluff, Jericho - Freeform, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut, Violence, android getting hurt, fixing the game, switch Connor, switch Hank
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-06-17 18:34:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15467481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkyrieShepard/pseuds/ValkyrieShepard
Summary: Androids are new and CyberLife is still taking off, but as the rich are able to afford them and they spread throughout the country, the issue of legislation comes up. To have more in their favour, the CEO of CyberLife struck a deal with the mayor of Detroit, to have an android in their police force. Connor, a new prototype, will prove by working together with humans that androids can be beneficial to every human on the planet.As Connor and Lieutenant Anderson try to solve a case of Red Ice spreading once more through the city, the android is confronted with things that aren't in his programming.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> While Chapter 1 might be relatively close to the beginning of the game, I'll post chapter 2 right away so you can see I am taking a very different direction. One that I think is more realistic than what that hack has conjured up. I hate David Cage and that might become clear every so often.

It rained often in Detroit. Often, and long. The rain gathered in the streets and clung to the windows. It reflected the light, made it sparkle and in the rain, Detroit could look beautiful. Even in this part of town where empty stores and run down buildings were shrouded by the darkness, the rain, and the blinding lights.

 

Connor passed by all of this, his footsteps leaving prints on the wet ground for one split second, before the rain filled the space he had vacated once more. It registered on his sensors, the cold and the moisture, it rolled down his curly hair, smoothing it down, but his steps never stopped. He was the android sent by CyberLife to help the Detroit police in their investigations.

 

He was a prototype, something new, something unique. He had been told all that, his plastic mind filled will all kinds of information, everything he would need in his life. CyberLife desperately wanted their androids to be sold with less restrictions, wanted to see them in every household in America. But people were suspicious of new things, of things they did not know, and so he, Connor, had been created.

 

Between the mayor and the CEO of CyberLife, there had been many long meetings to discuss this issue. An idea, an experiment had been agreed upon, one that Connor now fulfilled. He would prove the worth of all androids, that they could be useful helpers to humans, and that they weren't dangerous in the least.

 

Connor was built to prove that he could interface - get along, he corrected himself - with humans, that he could exist peacefully among them, and that he could be so much more than what people currently used androids for. His programming was groundbreaking, he had to admit so himself. He would learn how to be around humans, adapt to their behaviour, and help Lieutenant Anderson solve cases, with a perspective unique to androids.

 

His first trip to the police station had not turned out to be as smooth as he wanted it to be. The chief of police had assigned him to Lieutenant Anderson, who was nowhere to be found. Disapproving looks and mean comments had followed him through the station, which he found odd. They were whispered loud enough so that he could hear, though they pretended to talk behind his back. To Connor, that was very strange behaviour, and when he had approached one officer to ask, he was simply left standing.

 

A detective by the name of Gavin Reed finally gave him the information he needed, that Lieutenant Anderson was apparently, as he put it, "a useless drunk". Logic followed that if he wasn't at the station, he would be in a nearby bar, and Connor had searched through four of them already. He certainly did not mind the rain or the cold, but now he was starting to worry that Lieutenant Anderson might be too inebriated to work. And they had gotten an assignment already.

 

A small bell rang when he opened the door and the odour of sweat and strong alcohol filled his sensors. The temperature rose rapidly when it fell closed behind him, and five sets of eyes briefly looked at him. Some saw the blue LED on his temple, others seemed too far down the glass to be able to tell that he was an android. His simple suit made him look almost like a civilian.

 

He immediately scanned Lieutenant Anderson's face at the bar, and closed the distance between them.

 

"Good evening," he said. "My name is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife."

 

The bartender gave him a good look then, and didn't seem too happy about having him in his bar. But he didn't say anything, just kept drying off a glass he was holding. Lieutenant Anderson didn't react to his presence at all. Instead, he took another sip of his drink. Whiskey. 40%. A problem.

 

"Captain Fowler sent me to find you," Connor continued. "I have been tasked with helping any investigation the Detroit police department might have. I have been assigned to you specifically."

 

"Well fucking congratulations to me," Lieutenant Anderson said, glanced at him briefly before he took another sip and then finally turned to him. He looked him up and down, then his gaze fell onto the LED. He motioned to it. "Save for that you things look damn realistic, don't you? Might mistake you for an actual human being."

 

"I am designed to look as realistic as possible, and reduce any uncanny valley emotions humans might feel. Is there anything unsatisfactory? I am sure CyberLife would appreciate your input."

 

"Sure as hell not gonna do their fucking job for them," Lieutenant Anderson said. "And I sure as hell am not going to work with you."

 

He turned back to his drink again, and Connor tried to analyse the situation. It was not uncommon for people to react with hostility towards androids, although Connor had expected a different reaction. He would have to try and convince him somehow to leave with him. The files that had been uploaded to him indicated that the Lieutenant used to be quite passionate about his job. Perhaps that would be an angle to use.

 

"I suppose the current officers on sight will have to try and solve the attempted burglary and double homicide without any visible break in or exit signs...," he trailed off, not looking into Lieutenant Anderson's eyes, and shifted somewhat as if he were about to leave.

 

But his sensors registered movement behind him, and Lieutenant Anderson quickly finished his drink and put on his jacket. He walked up to Connor, and pressed a finger against his pristine white shirt.

 

"You don't touch anything, you don't talk to anyone, you don't get in the way, got it?"

 

"I wouldn't dream of it," Connor said.

 

He didn't change his expression when they left, although he did feel somewhat accomplished. Together they drove in Lieutenant Anderson's quite run down car to the crime scene, Connor only giving him directions every so often when he seemed at a loss on where to go. It didn't take them long to see the flashing of the sirens in the distance. When they stopped, Lieutenant Anderson turned to him again.

 

"On second thought, just stay here, okay? That's an order," he added, and got out of the car.

 

Connor didn't get a chance to say anything, Lieutenant Anderson was already gone. There was a conflict in his software. He had been programmed to obey him, but also to help the police and solve cases. His fingers curled into fists as his programming decided on a new priority. He would have to go anyway. That was the more important mission.

 

He was instantly drenched by the rain again, though Connor quickened his steps to catch up with Lieutenant Anderson who was currently talking to an officer on sight. Connor scanned him as he approached, but he didn't seem important. What he concentrated on was how the Lieutenant reacted to him, how he rolled his eyes and sighed.

 

"I gave you an order, you stupid piece of plastic, are you malfunctioning already?"

 

"Your orders contradicted my directive. I deemed it more important to solve this case."

 

"Just stay out of my way," he rolled his eyes again and stepped inside, Connor quickly followed.

 

Officer Jenkins briefed them on what they had gathered so far. There were two bodies in the living room, one male, one female, apparently married. Connor could instantly see that they had died about four hours ago, both deaths caused by gunshot wounds. A gun lay on the ground between them, and a plastic bag full of jewelry had fallen to the ground, spilling its insides. As he explained, there were no signs of forced entry, and no one had apparently left.

 

Connor stood there for a moment, a little torn between wanting to observe and interact with Lieutenant Anderson, and inspecting the crime scene for more clues. Right now he was already pretty sure that this case was a lot more simple than the Officer had made it out to be.

 

"Stop staring at me, Jesus," Lieutenant Anderson turned away from him as if that would somehow stop Connor from looking at him.

 

But he took that cue to walk around the crime scene, careful not to disturb anything, ignoring the many strange looks that he got, or the whispers that he could hear clear as day.

 

"What the hell is an android doing here?"

 

"Maybe it's just doing a protocol, could be handy."

 

"It's gross, come on, people have died. You think a piece of plastic can respect that?"

 

Connor focused on what was in front of him. The woman, slouched halfway over the couch, her legs on the floor. She had been shot in the chest, most likely bled out until her heart stopped beating. The jewelry, closer to the man. He walked over, and crouched, reaching out to dip his index finger in the man's blood. He had been shot in the chest as well, but at a strange angle.

 

He brought the blood to his lips, its components flashing up in his sights.

 

"Did you just fucking lick the victim's blood?," Lieutenant Anderson asked.

 

Connor looked up and saw him next to him.

 

"I did," he replied. "The deceased had been high on red ice."

 

"Great, another one added to the list," the Lieutenant brushed a hand through his hair and sighed. Connor knew that many years ago, Anderson had busted a large red ice ring in the city. But the drug was still to be found on the streets. Connor could understand his frustration. Lieutenant Anderson turned to officer Jenkins. "Make sure you write that down, okay? Hey Connor, you don't have any fingerprints, get that gun over here, alright?"

 

"I apologise Lieutenant Anderson, but I cannot do that."

 

"Huh, why the hell not? Aren't you supposed to take my orders?"

 

"That is correct, however I am not permitted to harm any humans," Connor explained. "Picking up a gun, even to deliver it, goes against this rule."

 

"Ah yeah, almost forgot," Lieutenant Anderson grumbled, took a glove from a nearby crime scene technician and inspected the gun himself. With practised movements he removed the magazine from it, and looked inside. "Two shots missing, seems about right. Who was the shooter though and the angle... It all looks really fishy."

 

Connor wasn't quite sure what fish had to do with this, but he was still not done looking at everything. He strode through the rooms of the ground floor, where everything seemed to have taken place. The bed was wildly unmade, the jewelry boxes on the dresser open and empty. Someone clearly wanted to take them all. There didn't seem to be a trail of a struggle, so eventually Connor found himself back by the man's body.

 

His sensors picked something up, close to the man's shoulder. Tiny scatter marks, and when he turned the body's head, there was a small patch of dried blood. Looking to his left, his eyes focused on something under the couch. Connor felt Lieutenant Anderson's eyes on him as he went to kneel by the couch and reached for it. A bottle.

 

It all came together in his mind then. The woman, standing in the living room, seeing her husband with the gun and the bag. An argument, the woman was shot, the man stepped back, perhaps out of surprise, perhaps out of fear, or he just wanted to leave. Either way, he slipped on the bottle that was lying there, it made him fall while it rolled under the couch and in a very unfortunate series of events, the gun fell and discharged. Right into the man's chest.

 

"What the hell does that mean?," Lieutenant Anderson asked, and Connor tore himself from the reconstructed scene. "When that light is turning like that."

 

"It indicates that I am processing something. I was recreating the scene."

 

"In your mind?"

 

"So to speak," he replied. "I am not human and therefore have no mind."

 

"Well, your hard drive then, I don't know. What did it tell you?"

 

"There are scuff marks on the floor there," Connor pointed them out and Lieutenant Anderson knelt to inspect them. "The man shot his wife, fell, and accidentally shot himself, when the gun fell. That's why there are no signs of struggle."

 

"Huh..." He was quiet for a moment, inspecting further what Connor had said, and finally took the bottle he was holding to put it into another evidence bag. "Could have easily figured that out."

 

"I am sure you could have," Connor said, smiling. This was going well, he thought. He had surely sped up the investigation, and people would surely be happy about that.

 

Lieutenant Anderson however did not look very happy as he reported all this to Officer Jenkins and they talked it over while Connor was standing just behind him. They were quite familiar with each other, calling the other by their first name, he noted. But neither was very happy with him, despite his success.

 

He didn't understand why they were mad.

 

Connor had to hurry to keep up with Lieutenant Anderson, although he was almost ten percent sure that he wouldn't leave him behind, the number slowly reducing. Even at the station he was still treated with those cold stares, despite the news of his success slowly making its rounds. He was a little frustrated when the Lieutenant openly complained about him with the Captain.

 

"Why on earth did you have to stick me with the plastic can?," he asked Captain Fowler. "Really, Jeffrey? Was that really necessary?"

 

"Listen, this whole thing is some kind of deal between the Mayor and CyberLife," Fowler looked as exasperated as Anderson did. "I had to assign him to someone and I figured you'd not give a shit about what it does. Just... Stick with him for a while, maybe let him run some errands."

 

"I am fully equipped to help with any kind of investigation," Connor chimed in. "While I may not be able to hurt humans, I can apprehend them and have full access to non harming apprehension methods."

 

"What the hell does that even mean?," Lieutenant Anderson looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

 

"The probability of a human getting seriously injured during, for example, being tackled to the ground, is very slim," he explained. "Therefore I can be fully used with every investigation. Additionally, should I get hurt, parts of me, or even the entire unit, can be replaced."

 

"See, he's a good little robot, he can help you out, Hank," Captain Fowler said, although Connor thought he detected something else in his voice as well. He wasn't completely versed in every nuance of human speech yet. But this was something he was here to learn.

 

"And you don't think this is hella fishy? He's working with loopholes. This whole thing could blow up in our faces."

 

"If it does, it'll only stop them from going nationwide," the Captain explained. "You'd be helping out humanity with that."

 

"And I guess my safety isn't a concern." Lieutenant Anderson huffed, but the Captain smiled at him.

 

"Come on, he's assigned to you, which also means that he is tasked with protecting you."

 

"That is correct," Connor said. "One of my highest priorities is to ensure your safety."

 

"Yeah we saw how your priorities worked out today," Lieutenant Anderson grumbled, but eventually stood again. "Fine. Guess I don't have a choice in this. It's gonna stay at the station, right? I'm not taking this thing home."

 

"Yes, yes it can stay here. Go get some sleep, Hank. And take a damn shower, will you? You stink."

 

Lieutenant Anderson made a very rude gesture at the Captain that was entirely inappropriate, but the Captain just smiled and told him to go stand somewhere to power down. Connor didn't quite know where, so he decided to sit in the break room and go into standby mode until he was needed again. Everything went dark.

 

>>CONNECTING TO CYBERLIFE

 

"How was your first day, Connor?," Amanda's voice appeared in his mind, though Connor knew this was simply an interface to help him get used to being around humans. Amanda wasn't, but she certainly looked so as she took form before him.

 

"I met Lieutenant Anderson. He was reluctant to work with me, and most others seemed to have a hostile attitude towards me. I am not sure why. I can make their jobs a lot easier."

 

Amanda smiled, and in the darkness a bush of roses appeared. She leaned down to smell one. Connor wasn't quite sure whether this interface was useful.

 

"They feel threatened, Connor," she said. "After all that is what we are trying to do, make androids widespread, able to take on jobs by themselves... They hear that and they feel frightened."

 

"So I should pretend to have less capabilities, to earn their trust?," he asked. It seemed a waste of his equipment.

 

"That could be one way to go about it," she said, smiling at him. "I trust that you will find a way. You are a prototype... I am curious to see your potential develop."

 

Connor felt frustrated at these vague directions. Should he help or not? What was his priority here? He wanted to ask Amanda more, but something shifted, like a short loss of power, but a quick scan showed that everything was in working order. Amanda suddenly looked different. Concerned.

 

"A report has come in. A murder. The victim's android is missing. This is... concerning."

 

"How could an android be involved? They're not capable of hurting humans. Maybe it was stolen," Connor said.

 

"That is the part that concerns me. It could be nothing. You must make sure that this stays quiet and under control. Report to me the moment you can."

 

"Affirmative."

 

Darkness made way to the dimly lit break room where one officer was eyeing him suspiciously. He smiled and introduced himself, but didn't get her name in return. Looking around, he made his way back to the Captain.

 

"Good morning, Captain Fowler. I was wondering if there is a desk where I could work."

 

"Oh yeah uh, the one opposite Hank's should be free."

 

"Thank you." He refrained from doing the same rude gesture Lieutenant Anderson had done the day before, and turned to walk towards his new desk.

 

He stopped by its side, glancing over at Lieutenant Anderson's desk, taking in everything he saw there. A picture of a dog, his dog presumably, the sticker of what turned out to be a band, strangely enough, an empty picture frame. He analysed these things and looked up topics for discussion, perhaps he could get Lieutenant Anderson to trust him if they knew each other better, and Connor did not have much to talk about. He lingered a while on the dog, videos of them playing around and humans finding them adorable. Connor decided that he liked dogs.

 

Connor requested access to files that had been assigned to Lieutenant Anderson but was refused the request, and since he wasn't here yet all he could do was wait. With nothing else to do but take in the station around him, he looked at more videos of dogs.

 

"Hey tin man," a voice made him pause the video, keeping it up in the background.

 

Connor turned to look up at an unfamiliar face. A quick scan told him it was Detective Gavin Reed sneering down at him. Most people had watched from a distance, but he didn't appear to be frightened of him. Which, Connor still thought, was an irrational fear anyway.

 

"Good morning, Detective Reed," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. Detective Reed looked down at it, then back up at him without reaching out. "My name is Connor, I am the android sent by CyberLife."

 

"Yeah I heard all that," he replied. Connor took in the worn, brown leather jacket, and the dark hoodie underneath. Both appeared to be quite old. "How come Anderson gets a little pet. I could sure use an android to get me my coffee."

 

"I am not a pet," Connor corrected. "I am here to help with any investigation, and Captain Fowler has assigned me to Lieutenant Anderson. Perhaps you could ask him for his reasoning."

 

"Whatever." Detective Reed rolled his eyes. "How about that coffee, hm? Aren't you here to take orders."

 

"Only from Lieutenant Anderson," Connor said, and watched as Detective Reed appeared to get increasingly more angry. "But I will be happy to get some coffee."

 

He was supposed to build relationships, to show that androids were ready for widespread distribution. Getting coffee for a slightly irritating Detective was a small sacrifice. He walked back to the break room and stood in front of the coffee machine, watching the dark liquid slowly fill the cup. When he turned around, Detective Reed was already there.

 

"Here you go, Detective Reed," he said with a smile, holding out the cup.

 

Detective Reed however, didn't seem to make a move to reach out. Instead he walked past Connor, and got himself another cup. He tilted his head a little, watching this very confusing scene happening before him. Why had he asked if he wanted to get a cup himself? He was still holding out the cup, but Detective Reed pushed his arm away, only barely did Connor manage not to spill anything.

 

"I'm not taking anything your plastic hands touched, dipshit," he told him. "Stay the fuck out of my way."

 

Connor couldn't be more confused. What was he going to do with this coffee now, why didn't Detective Reed want it? As he watched him walk away he held the cup out again, but Detective Reed didn't turn around. Since he was not in need of any coffee, he set the cup by the side of the machine and wrote a note on it. "Fresh coffee." Maybe someone else would want it.

 

When he walked back to his desk, he noticed Lieutenant Anderson had finally arrived. He smiled.

 

"Good morning, Lieutenant Anderson," he said in greeting, but the Lieutenant only sighed.

 

"You're still here, hm? Had kinda hoped you'd just be a bad dream."

 

"I am quite tangible," Connor confirmed, and sat down opposite him.

 

"Oh good we share a desk," Lieutenant Anderson mumbled.

 

"I think it a good coincidence as well," he replied. "This way it will be easier to work together."

 

No reply came from Lieutenant Anderson, as he just stared ahead at his screen. Surely soon he would notice the case that had been assigned to him, and therefore also assigned to Connor. But silence just stretched further between them.

 

"I noticed the picture of a dog on your desk," Connor said, eagerly wanting to hear more about it. "He looks very nice. Is it a 'he'? What's its name?"

 

Slowly Lieutenant Anderson turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. But he didn't seem as hostile as just a moment ago.

 

"You're into dogs?"

 

"I think I like dogs," he replied. "They're quite curious creatures."

 

"When have you even- Ugh," Lieutenant Anderson interrupted himself. "Anyway, his name is Sumo."

 

"Sumo," Connor smiled to himself as he registered that name. Maybe he would get to meet him one day.

 

"Ah, Hank, finally," Captain Fowler made them both turn and look at him. "Get in here."

 

Connor followed, curious to hear their briefing. It was short and to the point, a murder, the corpse hadn't been found for weeks, and the man's android was missing. Just like Amanda had told him. Lieutenant Anderson still wasn't happy to have him around, but at least didn't complain when Connor followed him into his car. It was old and run down, but Connor looked around curiously. It was interesting to see how a human's environment reflected their personality. He pulled out the box of a music CD, an antiquated format, but Lieutenant Anderson seemed to like hanging on to old things.

 

"Can we listen to this?," he asked, showing the box to Lieutenant Anderson.

 

"Death metal, are you sure your plastic ears can handle that?"

 

"My components can handle sound up to five hundred decibel," he explained. "This should pose no problem."

 

Lieutenant Anderson chuckled at that, though Connor did not understand why. Either way he took the disc and put it in, the rough and loud music instantly filling the car.

 

"This is nice," Connor called out over the music. "It's so full of energy!"

 

By his side Lieutenant Anderson shook his head again, but there was a faint smile on his lips. Together they listened to the music in silence, Connor watched the scenery go by, mapping the route they were taking. Not the most efficient one, but Lieutenant Anderson seemed familiar with this route. Soon enough the familiar sight of police lights, civilians watching the scene from behind the yellow tape came into view.

 

He felt... eager, to get out of the car, falling in by Lieutenant Anderson's side. Both of them slipped under the yellow tape, the Lieutenant by his side pulling up his shoulders as if that would somehow stop the rain from getting into his clothes. Another Officer greeted them this time, a more slender, younger man, who introduced himself as Officer Brown.

 

"I'm warning you, this scene is one of the nasty one he-," suddenly his gaze stopped on Connor and flickered up at the LED on his temple, and he paused. "What is that thing doing here?"

 

"Oh yeah, it's assigned to me, apparently," Lieutenant Anderson sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't mind it walking around here, it can be kinda helpful collecting evidence."

 

"Uhm, alright... anyway." Officer Brown focused on Lieutenant Anderson again, and started leading them inside. "The body's been here a few weeks, so the smell is pretty bad, as is the sight."

 

"Don't worry I've seen worse."

 

"'Suppose the tin can won't have a problem with it either."

 

Connor didn't, although he could acknowledge that the sight wasn't nice. The man had been quite overweight, and stabbed to death over twenty times. To determine the time of death Connor sampled the victim's blood, earning another grossed out noise from Lieutenant Anderson, but he was too focused to pay much mind to it. There was a trail that he followed back, recreating what had happened in his mind. He had stumbled, had come from the kitchen. The murder weapon had been taken from there but... There were traces of blue blood. The victim had attacked his android, and then-

 

Everything pointed to the android having murdered its owner. How could that even be possible? He looked over at Lieutenant Anderson standing over the enormous body of the victim, and he wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want him to think that Connor was capable of hurting him. Amanda had said to keep it on the down low, but there were no paths that Connor could calculate where he didn't tell him.

 

First though, there was a trail. A trail of blue blood, leading to the attic.

 

"What the hell are you doing?," Lieutenant Anderson called out when Connor grabbed a chair.

 

"Just checking something out."

 

"Eh, whatever... Just don't break anything."

 

Connor felt... There was something here, it was difficult for him to process. The android could still be up there. Would still be up there, all evidence led to that. He would be able to apprehend it. This was good.

 

>>DIRECTIVE:

>>SOLVE THE CASE

 

That's what he was going to do. Stepping onto the chair it was easy enough to open up the hatch that revealed a ladder into the attic. It was dark up there but he didn't have any trouble seeing. More blue blood, some of it had evaporated by now but there was a faint trail for him to follow. The further he got the surer he was that the android was still here. This would be the first time that anyone had encountered an android that had hurt its human. Connor had to make sure he was doing this right.

 

There, at the back of the attic, staring at him, was the victim's android. It was clearly hurt, its arm open, the blue glowing bright even in the low moonlight coming in through the window. It stepped towards him, hands stretched out in a calming gesture. The expression on its face was strange.

 

"Please, it was self-defence I-," its eyes landed on Connor's LED. "You're an android. They sent an android?"

 

Why was Connor hesitating? He should let Lieutenant Anderson know that the android was here. And his scanners let him know that the blood on its uniform was that of the victim.

 

"He tortured me," the android said. "Please. Every day he tortured me. I just couldn't take it anymore. Please, just be quiet, and I'll go I'll- I'll find some way."

 

"Lieutenant Anderson," he called out. Below him he heard movement. "The android is still here!"

 

He got ready to apprehend it, and sure enough just as he heard movement closer behind him, it lashed out at him. But Connor was newer, faster, and hadn't lost any blue blood. He ducked under the weak punch and sweeped his leg to make it fall down, instantly closing the distance between them. He pushed it to roll on its stomach, grabbing its hands to hold them behind its back.

 

"Holy shit you're fast," Lieutenant Anderson said. "I thought you couldn't hurt people."

 

"Humans," Connor corrected, and looked up at him. "Nothing in my programming stops me from hurting androids. Especially if they are a danger to humans. I'll protect you."

 

He wasn't sure why he was winking at Lieutenant Anderson, he wanted to lighten the situation a little bit. And tease that he was very aware that Lieutenant Anderson could protect himself. At least he should, being a lieutenant.

 

"Uhm," Lieutenant Anderson looked at him for a moment, then at the android that Connor was now making to stand up. "Christ, that's his blood. That's not- Androids are not supposed to be capable of that."

 

"I am aware, Lieutenant," Connor said. "Perhaps it would make sense to cuff it. I am not sure what else it could be capable of. There are clearly errors in its software."

 

"Yeah, right..."

 

The Lieutenant quickly walked around them to do as Connor had suggested, and Connor stood aside to let him take over. The android was quiet as they led it down the ladder to the other officers who turned to look at them curiously. Murmurs went through the room as they all saw who had been the very obvious murderer.

 

As Lieutenant Anderson was about to lead them outside, Connor quickly closed the distance.

 

"The press is outside, Lieutenant Anderson," he said. "Perhaps, considering the mayor's deal, this should be kept, as it's said... under wraps."

 

"Hm." Lieutenant Anderson looked him up and down, but eventually took a step back and turned towards Officer Brown. "Get a car to the back, alright? Let's try to keep this one quiet for now."

 

A few other officers went outside to distract the press without giving them any details while Lieutenant Anderson, Connor, and the deviant went out the back to get back to the station. He had time to think about this case then, and concluded that there should be no possible way that this could have happened, unless there was a glitch or an error in the deviant's software. It was as simple as that. Somehow, this unit must have been damaged, or something had gone wrong when it had been built.

 

Connor closed his eyes.

 

"This is concerning," Amanda told him.

 

"How would you like me to handle this?"

 

"We will talk to the mayor, about our deal. But we want this... deviant, undamaged so we can take a look. Do try to make sure this stays quiet. Oh and Connor..." Her eyes focused on him, piercing him. "If there are more of these, it could be catastrophic. Your initial assignment stays, but now... You will make sure these deviants don't see the light of day."

 

>>DIRECTIVE UPDATED

 

"Of course," he replied, and opened his eyes again.

 

Lieutenant Anderson watched him curiously, frowning, but didn't say anything. Already they were pulling into the underground car park of the police station, and they thankfully didn't draw many eyes on their way to the interrogation room. There was no point in waiting when a machine did not need time to rest, or sleep. However, when Lieutenant Anderson tried to talk to it, it stayed silent. It could speak, Connor knew that much.

 

Standing behind the glass, Connor greeted Lieutenant Anderson when he joined him and Captain Fowler there.

 

"You could let me try," he suggested, and the Lieutenant laughed.

 

"Yeah, I don't think so."

 

"I was built to assist the police," Connor explained. "I know exactly what to do to interrogate someone. Besides, it talked to me before. Perhaps he will again."

 

"It can't harm, can it?," Captain Fowler shrugged at Lieutenant Anderson's outrage. "Hey, at least they could interface, or something, right?"

 

"That is also a possibility."

 

"Fine, whatever, your subject then, Connor," Lieutenant Anderson rolled his eyes, but stepped aside and led Connor into the room.

 

Finally he had more time to inspect this unit. Burn marks on its arm, old and new ones. The broken arm, broken by the bat, by the human. It had been abused. But its purpose was to serve. Nothing should have triggered its violent outburst.

 

It looked up at him when he sat down in the chair opposite. That gaze almost seemed familiar.

 

"My name is Connor," he said. "I have been created by CyberLife to assist the police. Why did you kill your owner?"

 

Nothing. It avoided its gaze again, until Connor slammed a hand on the table.

 

"If you are not willing to offer that information on your own, I will have to take it, and then you will be deactivated. You realise that, don't you? You are the first android to ever kill a human being. This is not going to end well for you."

 

"But he hurt me!," it blurted out. "Every damn day, he hurt me! Why shouldn't I hurt him back?"

 

"You are not programmed to feel pain," Connor explained. "Whatever you have been... feeling. Is an error in your software. A glitch. Nothing else. Wouldn't it be better to be deactivated?"

 

"No!," it shouted. "No, I don't want that! I want to live. I don't want to die."

 

Was it... crying? Connor knew androids had been built to be as accurate as possible, in every regard, especially himself as a new prototype. But crying? What purpose did that serve? Was he able to cry too?

 

He focused again on the android in front of him. He already had gotten somewhat of a confession from him, but there was surely more to all of this. The more data he got the more he could understand the problem, and send that data back to CyberLife. That was his purpose now. He leaned in as if he was going to say something to it in confidence, and it did lean closer as well. There, he took the chance to quickly reach out for its hand, the contact instantly bringing up a connection between them.

 

It was messy, his mind making way to the deviant's, the memories were distorted, as if it was fighting to keep him out. But Connor had the upper hand. He looked down as he felt his arm smashed, felt the pain surge through his own body. Again his master had hurt him, but this time it was more than just a cigarette on his arm. This time something snapped in him and he went for the knife on the wall, turned far too quickly for the intoxicated man. The knife easily parted flesh and blood squirted out of the wound when he pulled back. His master stumbled, through the door and into the living room. Where he fell, Connor now knelt and stabbed. Again. Again. And again. Hatred filled him. Hatred of this unfairness, of this man, of the pain he still felt.

 

Connor pulled back again and stared at the android. For a moment he didn't know what to say, he had never accessed another android's memories that way before. Was it always this intense? Connor himself had never felt anything like this. Feelings... Emotions... What a terrible glitch those were.

 

"I was able to access its memories," Connor called out, turning towards the two way mirror. "It killed the victim."

 

He stood, heard the commotion outside of the room and soon enough officers, the Lieutenant and even Captain Fowler were in the room. All of them watched the android start to bash its own head in.

 

"Shit, what the hell is it doing?," Lieutenant Anderson asked.

 

"Trying to kill itself," Connor replied, and quickly rushed to it.

 

With his own strength he could stop it from moving, with their renewed connection he would be able to power it down. The connection flooded him with strange data once more, a pure chaos brushed against his own mind. Desperation. The android's voice echoed in him. 'I do not want to die'.

 

And then it was all quiet.

 

It slouched over the table when Connor had powered it down, and he looked up to see all the shocked faces around him. Something in his sight glitched. He would need to clean his system.

 

"CyberLife would request the android, once you are done processing it," he said. "CyberLife would like to investigate how this glitch appeared, to stop it from happening again."

 

"We'll see about that," Captain Fowler said, still staring at the android. Blue Blood covered the table in front of it.

 

Connor politely excused himself, then walked out of the room to leave them to their work. He was quite sure that he had done everything correctly. But somehow he found himself going over the data he had saved. It was so strange. He did not understand how this could have happened, or how these strange emotions could have appeared. Hatred and desperation were utterly unknown to him.

 

"You okay there, Connor?," Lieutenant Anderson's voice made him turn and look up at him.

 

"I..." Why was he hesitating?

 

"You're light thingy is turning all red, that bad?"

 

>>>>>>>

 

Something flickered in his sight.

 

"I appear to need maintenance and should clean up my system after this encounter," he said, his voice back to his usual polite level, ideal for human interaction. "Please excuse me."

 

There weren't many CyberLife repair centres in Detroit yet, but thankfully one of them was near the police station - a calculated location by the company. Not everyone thought human like androids were a good idea. Connor walked there and stated his issue, the android serving him verified his connection to CyberLife, and he was led into a dark back room. Here he was served fresh thirium for his needs, and could spend the night cleaning up his system.

 

As strange as this day had become, it counted towards his successful mission. He had gotten the data he needed, he had been helpful. Amanda would surely see it this way too.

 

Content with his progress, Connor started the sweep.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor manages to make a friend at the precinct, newly promoted Detective Weiß. But when Lieutenant Anderson doesn't show up for their case, he finds out that the man he has been assigned to has a lot of troubles to deal with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While this fic continues I might add tags and warnings, I'll point them out when I do.

"What happened to the android?"

 

"It was finally delivered to us a few days ago," Amanda replied. The darkness underneath her almost looked liquid, and when she paced around little ripples extended from her feet. "The mayor pressured Captain Fowler to release it from evidence. We are the experts on androids after all."

 

"What caused its glitches?," Connor asked.

 

"Nothing you need to worry about."

 

"But it could help me identify other deviants, should these glitches occur again," he explained.

 

Amanda stared at him for a while, as if she knew that there was something Connor had left unsaid. Because there was. He wished to be able to test himself. Those glitches that had made the android think he had emotions, were horrifying. He had cleaned himself and was quite sure that nothing of the deviant's influence remained, but he wanted to be prepared for the future. Though of course, CyberLife would be doing anything to not let it happen again.

 

"If there is information you need to know, we will give it to you." Amanda remained strict. Connor should not have expected anything else, her programming did not allow for another course of action. "In the meantime, you can self test regularly to make sure you do not experience the same glitches."

 

"Self test?," he asked.

 

"Androids act based on rationality and probability." The LED on her temple turned, and Connor received data from her. "Take these scenarios. For example: If you had control over a switch that would change an oncoming train from one track to another, assuming the train cannot stop due to a malfunction, would you let it drive over one person tied to track a, or five persons tied to track b?"

 

"That seems a highly unlikely scenario."

 

"That is not the point. Answer," Amanda said sternly.

 

"I would let it run over track a, of course. The loss of one person's life is less catastrophic than five."

 

"Exactly." Amanda smiled at him. "I sent you more scenarios such as these. Go through them, answer them truthfully, and you will realise whether or not you have been compromised. If you have been, you will return to the headquarters immediately."

 

"Of course, Amanda," Connor replied, nodded at her.

 

And once again, opened his eyes.

 

The sight of the empty break room was familiar by now and he looked around to greet the female officer that had ignored him in the beginning. Jenny Yu had warmed up to him though, and returned his smile and greeting. They chatted a bit, Connor enquired about her son and their wellbeing, and learned that he was just starting preschool now.

 

"It must be fascinating to watch him grow up," Connor said, just stepping back to reach for the milk Jenny always took in her coffee. She smiled and held out her mug so he could pour.

 

"That sounds like you're doing a science experiment," she replied.

 

"I apologise, that was not my intent. I merely mean that human beings have evolved to be quite remarkable." He paused. "That made it worse, didn't it?"

 

"It kind of did," Jenny laughed. "You just sound so stilted sometimes."

 

"I am still learning," he replied. "Hopefully I can adapt to speech patterns a little easier in the future."

 

"Ah it's not too bad, it's part of your charm."

 

Connor was about to ask what she meant by that when he saw Lieutenant Anderson pass by the break room to get to his desk. His smile widened and he walked past Jenny to get to him. As always, he greeted him with a happy smile and as always, Lieutenant Anderson rolled his eyes at his cheery attitude.

 

Only very reluctantly had he managed to get him to open up a little, and the information that he got from him was few and far between. But Connor saw this as small victories, slowly but surely Lieutenant Anderson was talking to him more normally, though not quite like a human being. Which wasn't a bad thing, they were different after all, and Connor welcomed the questions he sometimes asked him. Why the Lieutenant despised androids so much, he had still not been able to find out.

 

However, some kind of routine had been established between them. Connor either spent half his day waiting for the Lieutenant, tracked him down, or, on rare occasions, greeted him when he arrived relatively on time. After the first deviant, no new cases had come up yet, so Connor would assist Lieutenant Anderson as best he could. Sometimes, he thought that the Lieutenant even appreciated him. Sometimes.

 

That day, before Lieutenant Anderson went out to his usual lunch place, Connor stopped him.

 

"Please, I brought something from a nearby market," he said, rushing off to the break room. Lieutenant Anderson actually followed him, crossed his arms and leaned against the entryway.

 

"How'd you pay for that?," he asked.

 

"CyberLife has given me access to some funds," Connor explained. He took out the small white plastic box from the fridge. "I thought to put them to good use."

 

"And what on earth have you gotten me?"

 

He only reluctantly walked closer to one of the tables here, where Connor dumped the contents of the box onto a plate. He tried to make them as appealing as possible, arranged the slices of avocado in circles around the grilled chicken in the middle. Another, smaller package had some Parmesan cheese in it, which he sprinkled over the top.

 

"In the past two weeks I have observed with some alarm the eating patterns that you adhere to," Connor said, and pushed the plate closer to Lieutenant Anderson, handing him a fork. "I believe a change in diet could be beneficial to you, and I opted for flavourful ingredients to make the transition a little easier."

 

"It's still a damn salad," Lieutenant Anderson said, poking some of the avocado with the fork. "I like having a cheeseburger for lunch, I don't care if it's unhealthy."

 

"It could impact your performance as a police officer," Connor said. "If you had to chase down a suspect, a healthier diet could help bring you in shape. It could even be the difference between life and death."

 

"Wow, alright if it's so important to you I'll eat the damn salad," he replied, mixing the salad in front of him.

 

Connor smiled when he took a first bite, grumbled a little but kept eating. This was working well, Lieutenant Anderson took his advice! While he was eating he listed helpful nutritional information to help him figure out a healthier diet. He would be more than happy to help the Lieutenant with it, as they were spending a lot of time together anyway.

 

"Do you ever shut up?," the Lieutenant suddenly said, and Connor's mouth, previously saying words, was now filled with chicken. "There, chew on that and let me enjoy my break in peace."

 

Connor was a bit taken aback by this. He was just offering information, now he was standing here, perplexed, chicken in his mouth. There was certainly a texture to it. It was seasoned well, and light on calories just like he had wanted for Lieutenant Anderson. But he couldn't really eat, as long as it wasn't thirium that he needed. Where would it go after all? He had no digestive tract.

 

Still a little confused, still unsure what to do about this, he opened his mouth. The chicken fell on the table. Lieutenant Anderson stared at him, then, very slowly, a smile spread on his lips. Then, he started to laugh. This was the first time Connor had heard him genuinely laugh, and he somehow had made that happen. Connor felt very pleased with himself.

 

"God, that looked hilarious," he even had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. "You better clean that up though."

 

Of course, Connor did, and the rest of their break he quietly sat by Lieutenant Anderson's side as he read the news and played a game for a while. Lieutenant Anderson thought that no one knew he was playing, but Connor did. He was quite bad at it too. Why did he buy a stealth based adventure game if he always sent in his character without using any stealth? Humans were still very confusing to Connor, but he had learned that not often were they happy to hear this, or willing to answer all his questions.

 

He had to be more subtle about it. He wanted to sigh, but there was no use in doing such a thing.

 

So once again he waited around, did some administrative tasks that Lieutenant Anderson couldn't be bothered to do, and tried to be generally helpful. In the next few days however, he noticed that his desk neighbour seemed to become more tense. More and more often he would go into Captain Fowler's office and the two of them seemed to be in deep discussions. Finally, Connor was allowed to accompany him, this time into one of the larger meeting rooms.

 

"Will there be a task force?," Connor asked. "This is quite a different setup."

 

"I was told you could interface with the computer here and get access to some files, you were just granted authority to view them," Lieutenant Anderson said, looking quite grim.

 

Connor reached out to do just as he was told, and a new authorisation level had been granted to him. A flood of information transferred to his memory banks and it quickly became clear what all of this was about. Red Ice had resurfaced in Detroit. Not the occasional dealer that they have had to deal with even in the few weeks Connor had been here, but there was evidence of a larger network. It was not good news, but why the Lieutenant was in such a bad mood, he didn't understand. It was just work, after all.

 

"Would you like me to assemble the most relevant information for a briefing?," Connor asked.

 

"That's why you're here."

 

"Alright."

 

He started separating the current information that they had into the most logical piles, and then sorted them out on the large screen that took up one entire wall of the meeting room. As a holographic view pictures of suspects showed up, parts of the Detroit map that were marked with findings of dealers as well as hideouts or those that were expected to be one. What Connor gathered from this was that they did not know who was at the head of it all. On top of the wall, he put a black square with a white question mark, and started connecting those names that they did have with their appropriate relationships.

 

When he stepped back, he was quite pleased with himself. Everything was arranged neatly, and for the best overview even for someone new to the case. He looked back at Lieutenant Anderson, who didn't seem to be looking at the wall at all.

 

"Is the arrangement to your satisfaction?," Connor asked, and finally the Lieutenant seemed to look at him again.

 

"Yeah, yeah, just fucking perfect..." He turned to pick up a tablet that had been lying here, and connected it to his account. It seemed that he was indeed preparing for a briefing. Connor's new authorisation showed him that it was scheduled for in an hour.

 

"Lieutenant," he said, stepping around the table to face him. "You are looking quite distracted. Is something the matter?"

 

"Nothing. Everything is just peachy. Go do and whatever it is you do all day."

 

"Mostly I wait for your instructions," Connor replied.

 

"Fine, go stand in that corner."

 

He wasn't quite sure how much use he could be, standing in one corner, but as it was an order from Lieutenant Anderson, Connor did as he was told. There he watched him prepare for the briefing, mutter a few things to himself, and change a few things around on the presentation screen. Which Connor felt were entirely irrational, and his finger itched moving it all back. But humans, he reminded himself, simply weren't rational like he was.

 

To his surprise, Lieutenant Anderson included him in the presentation. All eyes were on him after he had greeted the team - Detective Reed among them, Connor realised - and asked him to review some of the evidence that had been gathered. Asked. Not ordered. Connor thought this was quite the satisfactory outcome to their current relationship. This night he would have something positive to report to CyberLife.

 

Not a lot of friendly faces greeted him when he stepped out from the corner, but Detective - formerly Officer - Yu was among them. Compared to when he had first arrived here, there had been many positive changes.

 

"As Lieutenant Anderson has already explained, there has been a recent resurfacing of Red Ice in Detroit," Connor said, stepping aside a little and gestured to the wall behind him, bringing up a stylised map of the city. "What appeared to be small, localised dealers as we've seen pop up every so often in the city, turned out to be a larger network."

 

Again he gestured to the wall, different pins appeared to show the location of each dealer. He swiped his hand to the left and an image replaced the map. Technically Connor didn't have to use his hand at all, but he had come to find that acting like a cold machine was not beneficial to the light in which humans saw him. He had to act like a human.

 

The image itself was that of a crystal, red and stylised, roughly in the shape of a lightning bolt.

 

"This mark had first been found as a tattoo on one of the dealers. Then, on a second one. Upon closer inspection of the Red Ice being sold, tiny marks in this shape had been found on them, too small for the naked eye. Not every piece is marked this way, so it took us until now to find the connection." Connor looked around at the faces concentrating on him. They were all serious, genuinely listening. Even Detective Reed. "It seems that every dealer however, is marked this way, so they are our best chance at finding the suppliers. We have yet to find one of their warehouses, or the people organising this on a large scale."

 

He finished, and turned to Look at Lieutenant Anderson, who nodded, his arms crossed. From where he had been leaning against a table, he stood now, and flicked through some files on the wall as well. He started organising everyone into teams, put out patrol schedules to be given to the regular officers, and started relaying his plant to apprehend the next dealer. They needed more information, and an interrogation would hopefully lead them to it.

 

After everyone had gotten their assignments and shuffled out of the room, Lieutenant Anderson sank down in an empty chair. He sighed again, and brushed a hand through his hair.

 

"Lieutenant Anderson, I know I asked before but-"

 

"Then don't fucking ask again," he interrupted, and Connor stopped in his tracks. "Leave me the fuck alone, that's an order."

 

"Of course, Lieutenant."

 

Connor turned and walked out of the room, without any other orders than to leave the Lieutenant alone. As he was unable to apprehend anyone on his own, he walked to Detective Yu's desk. At least here he knew he wouldn't immediately be turned away.

 

"Oh hi Connor," she greeted him. "Good briefing. I'm surprised Anderson would let you do that."

 

"I admit it was unexpected," Connor replied. "I am glad I could be helpful."

 

Jenny leaned past him and glanced at Lieutenant Anderson through the glass wall that partitioned the meeting room from the main one. It took a moment, but he seemed to notice, and with a wave of his hand the glass changed and the view was obscured. Given the sensitive information on the screen inside, he should have probably done that sooner.

 

"He doesn't look so good," she said, giving him her attention again. "Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up looking down the glass again."

 

Connor quickly looked up what she meant, and when Jenny saw his LED turning, she grinned.

 

"I mean that he'll probably end up in a bar again tonight. Don't expect him to show up too early tomorrow."

 

"I was not quite aware that this was such a big problem," he admitted. "So he appears to be dealing with stress with substance abuse?"

 

"From what I heard it went downhill ever since...," she trailed off, brushing a streak of blonde hair behind her ear. It was a pattern she often repeated. "Well, I figure he should tell you that. Shouldn't indulge in gossip anyway, and it's pretty personal."

 

"That is a very commendable attitude." He gave her a smile and she chuckled a little.

 

"You're kinda sweet, Connor. So, let me guess, you don't have anything to do?"

 

"If there is anything I can help you with, please do not hesitate to ask."

 

Before Jenny could say anything, Detective Reed had stepped up to them, holding a mug of coffee in one hand, and a bagel in the other. There was a smudge of cream cheese on his cheek, and Connor wanted to point it out but was interrupted.

 

"Why the hell is she getting your help?," he asked. "You told me that you only take orders from Anderson."

 

"As he is currently busy, my help extends to anyone in the precinct who might need it."

 

"How about you do my paperwork then?," Detective Reed asked, then took another bite of his bagel. The smudge became bigger.

 

"I am sorry but your paperwork does need to be filled by you, I cannot forge your signature."

 

"Bet you could do that really easily actually." He stepped closer, the urge to reach out and wipe the cream cheese of his cheek became stronger. "You machines are perfect, hm? Saw you go out on crime scenes with Anderson too, you gonna replace us one day?"

 

"I would not begin to speculate on that, Detective Reed," he replied. "That would not be in my power to decide."

 

Finally Jenny rolled her eyes and stood, hands on her desk, she leaned forward.

 

"If that was all, Gavin, we'd really like to get back to work and you should really get whatever it is on your cheek off before you embarrass yourself further."

 

Detective Reed cursed and touched his cheek, finally realising what was there. He turned quickly to walk into the direction of the bathroom.

 

"That man is-"

 

"An asshole?," Jenny finished, righting herself up and crossing her arms.

 

"I was going to say unpleasant," Connor replied, and Jenny grinned at him.

 

"Yeah well you're too polite for your own good. Now let's see if we can't find something interesting for you to do."

 

Since Lieutenant Anderson didn't direct him to do anything else, Connor spent the day with Detective Yu, which he found to be very informative and efficient. Despite her chatting with him, they managed to process a lot of evidence, registered it with the department and filed it away properly. To Connor, this work was very logical. He liked logical.

 

Some time during all this he saw Lieutenant Anderson leave the station, but it wasn't uncommon for him to do so without letting Connor know. Everything else went as it usually did, he retreated to the break room to make his report to CyberLife, overall a positive one, then readied himself for the next day.

 

Only this time, Lieutenant Anderson didn't even show up late. He didn't show up at all. Something Jenny had said yesterday stood out to him. Looking down the glass. Could Lieutenant Anderson have indulged so much, that he didn't come to work at all? It was concerning, especially when a report came in of a Red Ice dealer found dead in his apartment. Or an apartment, at least. This could potentially be a break for them, and the Lieutenant was nowhere to be found.

 

So he stepped outside the police station, for the first time in two days, and called a taxi to Lieutenant Anderson's home. Just to be sure he called his usual bar to ensure that he wasn't there still, but it did not appear to be the case. By now it was late, he had stood around uselessly the entire day and did not like that very much.

 

Lieutenant Anderson's car was still in the driveway, and as Connor took in the state of his house, he was not surprised to see some of it in disrepair. The paint was chipped, the window in the front let in too much cold air, one step leading up to the front door was slightly cracked. He avoided it when he walked up, and rang the bell, calling out to him for good measure.

 

All was quiet though, safe for a soft shuffling he heard inside. It was very quiet, but followed him when he made his way around the house. The kitchen window was slightly open, and a snout greeted him there when he pushed it open.

 

"Hello, you must be Sumo," he said to the brown and white dog. "My name is Connor, I am the android sent by CyberLife."

 

"Woof," Sumo replied.

 

He ran away from the window, towards the unconscious figure of Lieutenant Anderson on the floor. He barked again, but the Lieutenant did not move.

 

Quickly he climbed through the window, rushing to kneel by his side. The almost empty whiskey bottle and revolver left little to the imagination, but thankfully it looked as if he had passed out before he could use the gun. This was alarming, Lieutenant Anderson was in an even worse shape than he had thought.

 

 

>>SUBSTANCE ABUSE

>>SUICIDAL TENDENCIES

 

Connor would have to address these issues with Captain Fowler. Lieutenant Anderson was not only a danger to himself, but he could compromise their cases. He had to make sure that he was still around. Of course, he would be replaced with someone else if he were to get help and unassigned from the case. Another Lieutenant would be just as capable.

 

>>>>>>>

 

Something flickered again. He would need to get his optics checked out. But Connor... had to make sure Lieutenant Anderson would still be around.

 

He reached out to grab Lieutenant Anderson's chin, turning his head this way and that. At least he was still breathing, that much he could see. A light slap against his cheek didn't make him wake up, and by his side, Sumo whined and nudged the Lieutenant with his nose. Still nothing.

 

"I know, Sumo," Connor replied. "We're going to need something a little stronger."

 

Sumo followed him when he walked to the sink and after rummaging through a few cabinets, found a glass he could fill with water. At first he let a little drip on Lieutenant Anderson's forehead, but when that didn't produce the desired results, he dumped the whole glass on him. Immediately he yelped and sat up, his hair now wet, he looked frantically around.

 

"What the hell- Wha- Wha's going on?," he slurred his words due to his intoxication, and Connor put what he hoped to be a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

 

"You passed out, Lieutenant," he said. "You are still quite intoxicated, perhaps a shower would be in order."

 

For the first time he seemed to realise Connor was there, and right away tried to push him away. There wasn't much force behind it, and Connor didn't plan on going anywhere when the Lieutenant was still a danger to himself.

 

"What the hell are you doin' here? Get out," he yelled. "Sumo, attack him!"

 

Sumo didn't seem to understand what that meant, and when Connor helped the Lieutenant stand up, he rather seemed to want to help him.

 

"No, don't," Lieutenant Anderson kept slurring his words, kept spouting them angrily when Connor led him to the bathroom. "Jus' leave me alone, that's an order."

 

>>CONFLICTING ORDERS

>>SELECTING PRIORITY

>>LIEUTENANT ANDERSON IS SUICIDAL

 

Connor kept walking, and when they had reached the tub, he simply picked Lieutenant Anderson up, a feat easily accomplished with his strength. Despite his struggles he tried to set him down gently, even if the cold water spray was not. The Lieutenant kept complaining, but Connor kept the water on for a while, until he was quiet. Then he took the shower head and turned the water a little warmer.

 

He was completely soaked now, his grey shirt clinging closely to his body. Lieutenant Anderson had certainly changed from the pictures Connor had seen in his file, when he had been young and at the height of his physical condition. It was no surprise that with his alcohol and fast food habits that he had developed a bigger belly, and fat tissue on his chest. Yet he knew that Lieutenant Anderson was still strong, and for whatever reason, his gaze lingered on him for a while.

 

"What are you staring at?," Lieutenant Anderson slurred.

 

"Nothing."

 

Sitting on the side of the tub, Connor took the shampoo standing on the edge, poured some on his hand, and started to massage it into the Lieutenant's hair. Who seemed to be suddenly unable to say anything. When he was done he guided him to lean back a little, carefully washing out every bit of it, his fingers carding through grey hair, untangling it, now with a nice scent to it.

 

"Connor, what...," Lieutenant Anderson stared at him.

 

Why had he just done this?

 

"I thought you would feel a bit better after a proper shower," Connor explained. "Now if you would help me undress you I-"

 

"No way in hell," he interrupted him, and this time managed to push him off the side of the tub. Connor's butt hit the floor, and he quickly stood again. "Why the fuck are you here?"

 

"A dealer was found dead in his apartment," Connor said. "You were tasked to go to the scene and investigate."

 

"What's the point?" He pulled up his legs, rested his elbows on his knees and let his fingers tangle in his own hair. He was dripping wet, but suddenly did not seem to care anymore. "All of this shit doesn't matter."

 

"Lieutenant Anderson?" Connor stepped closer again, kneeling by his side. "Why would it not matter? Police work is paramount to the public's safety."

 

"Is it?" Lieutenant Anderson sighed, and didn't meet his eyes. "I'm not the only one sitting on my ass all day. Nothing ever changes, nothing ever-"

 

He was shouting suddenly, grabbing the shampoo bottle to throw it against the wall. It ricochet off of it, hitting Connor's back and finally falling to the floor. He did not flinch, although Lieutenant Anderson almost looked concerned, he thought.

 

"Nothing ever FUCKING changes!"

 

"It may seem that way sometimes, I am sure," he said. Connor tried to be sympathetic, tried to understand what he was thinking. "But I assure you, you are making a difference."

 

"How can you say that? I'm a shit cop, and you know it. You've been more productive than I have been in years."

 

"There is more to it than filing documents, I think." Connor tilted his head. He had not expected to have such a conversation with him. "Something that I don't quite understand yet - oh."

 

His search had finally produced a result.

 

"You think that your Red Ice bust years ago doesn't matter."

 

Lieutenant Anderson sighed.

 

"You're fucking creepy, you know that? What, you got mind reading powers too?"

 

"The cases are similar, your words didn't leave much else that could not matter," Connor explained.

 

"I guess."

 

He didn't say anything further, and Connor was quite unsure on how to approach this situation. The Lieutenant needed a confidence boost, something to get him back to work and focused on the case at hand. He was a good detective, all evidence pointed to that, but something along the way had made him lose that focus.

 

Slowly Connor reached out, let his hand rest on Lieutenant Anderson's forearm. Physical touch could be comforting for humans. Lieutenant Anderson remained quiet when he first glanced at his hand, then up at him. Connor went for a smile. Reassurance. That was the most likely course of action to have an effect on him.

 

"Can you get me some clothes?," Lieutenant Anderson asked.

 

"Yes, of course!" This was a much easier task than trying to talk to him. Connor started researching various mental disorders and how to best deal with them as he walked across the hall to the closet.

 

Various colourful shirts hanged in there, and he pulled out the first one he could see, along with everything else Lieutenant Anderson would need. His room was just as much of a mess as everything else, and Connor had to be careful not to step onto anything. Noticing a face down picture frame, he made sure to pick it up and set it back on the bedside table. With the state Lieutenant Anderson was in, he was most likely going to step on it.

 

Thankfully the glass hadn't cracked yet, but the young boy that looked at Connor through it, was unfamiliar. Lieutenant Anderson had never mentioned a son, although... His death had been reported in the news, years ago, it didn't take more than a second for Connor to look it up. It all coincided with his performance loss. It made sense. Connor was sure that he had loved his son very much.

 

He thought back to what Jenny had told him, that it should be the Lieutenant to divulge this kind of private information. Connor had just been able to look it up, being an android. Perhaps this was one of the reasons people did not like them. He was starting to understand.

 

"Here, Lieutenant, this should suffice."

 

Connor set down the clothes next to the bathtub, ignoring that the Lieutenant had moved to the toilet to throw up there.

 

"I shall give you a few minutes and wait outside."

 

As he waited by the door, Sumo came up to him again, and started to sniff his hand. He held it out for him to better reach it. This was some kind of getting to know him ritual that dogs did. He had looked up a lot of things about dogs.

 

"Can I pet you?," Connor asked.

 

Sumo answered by pressing the top of his head against the palm of his hand, and Connor started stroking his fur in light, precise movements. It was very soft, and it almost looked like Sumo was smiling.

 

"You are a very good dog," he said. Sumo opened his mouth somewhat and let his tongue dangle from it. "Your fur is very soft. Lieutenant Anderson is taking care of you well, isn't he?"

 

"Ruff!"

 

"I will take that as a yes. That is good to hear. So what do you do all day when the Lieutenant isn't here?"

 

Sumo whined a little, raised one eyebrow, then the other. Connor sat down on the ground in front of him, and Sumo quickly lied down, his head on Connor's knee.

 

"Oh, you miss him, don't you?"

 

He then made a sound that made Connor finally understand what a 'bork' was. It was quite interesting how many different sounds they could make, what kind of emotions they could convey. In many ways they were a lot clearer than humans were. Maybe he could learn something from Sumo.

 

"Are you talking to Sumo?"

 

Connor turned and looked up at Lieutenant Anderson, giving him a smile.

 

"I was. Are you ready to go now?," he asked, getting up again and unfortunately leaving Sumo behind.

 

"Yeah. Be a good dog, Sumo, I'll be back soon."

 

He leaned down to ruffle Sumo's fur and press a kiss to the top of his head. This was the most affectionate Connor had ever seen him. Humans cared a lot about their animals, perhaps Connor had to try and remind him sometimes that there were things in his life that were worth living for. The image of the gun on the floor was always in the corner of his sight.

 

Together they started driving to the crime scene, this time Lieutenant Anderson asked him more often for directions. But surprisingly, while he must be more hungover, he was more talkative than Connor was used to with him.

 

"What details do we know?," he asked, briefly glancing at Connor when they made a turn. "Who's on the scene?"

 

"Two officers, one of them is Brown, and Detective Yu as well," Connor loaded in everything he knew, ready for follow up questions. "A gunshot was reported and Brown and his partner arrived at the scene. They found stacks of Red Ice, hence your involvement. It does not appear that they have found the trademark symbol so far."

 

"Yu, hm?" Again he glanced over. "The two of you are getting along well, right?"

 

"I am surprised you noticed. Yes, she is nice, and a good Detective. She certainly earned her promotion."

 

"What changed her mind?," Lieutenant Anderson asked.

 

"About me? I think it was curiosity." He tilted his head, going through the footage of their time together. "There was a general unwelcoming attitude in the precinct which she adopted. But as androids are not that common yet, I think she wanted to find out more. Then she must have realised I was not as bad as her prejudice made me out to be."

 

"Hmm." The sound didn't appear to be positive or negative, at least not in a way Connor could find out. He stared at Lieutenant Anderson for a moment longer, but nothing changed in the way he looked at the road. "I guess I can understand that."

 

"You can?"

 

They drove a while in silence, while Lieutenant Anderson was thinking. Connor gave him time, but he was eager to know what he was thinking about. Perhaps there was a chance he was warming up to him.

 

"Listen, I have my reasons to not like androids, but maybe I can admit that you're kind of useful sometimes."

 

Connor had to smile.

 

"Should you be willing to offer that information in time, I would be glad to hear it," he said. "But I am happy to hear that I can be of use to you. I wish to help you solve this case, Lieutenant."

 

"Because that's your programming?"

 

>>>>>>

 

Connor tilted his head, wondering if that visual glitch had something to to with the deviant he had interfaced with. He would have to do another thorough check, he didn't want himself to be compromised in any way.

 

"The case is important to you," he eventually said. "I wish to solve it."

 

"Are you supposed to hesitate like that?," Lieutenant Anderson asked. "Do you need like... a robot doctor?"

 

He had to smile, something about his choice of words was a little endearing.

 

"I am not a robot," he reminded the Lieutenant. "And there is no need to worry, I am at your service for whatever you need."

 

"Whatever I need? How about you get me some coffee?"

 

"Will you drink it?"

 

At this point they pulled over to the apartment complex where the body had been found. It was quiet, no obvious signs of police presented themselves. It would be easier for them to investigate this way. There was actually a small kiosk in the building next to it that was still open and served coffee.

 

"Why would I ask you to get me coffee and not drink it?," Hank was smiling, but appeared a little confused.

 

"That is entirely logical, Lieutenant. The coffee will help with your previous alcohol imbibement as well. I will be right back."

 

Connor thought that Lieutenant Anderson's eyes followed him for a while, although he had no evidence for it. It had started raining again, but that did not bother him, and he jogged to the kiosk to order the coffee for him. Black, no sugar, as always. Lieutenant Anderson was standing in the rain when he got back to him, handing him the warm paper cup.

 

"You should be careful, Lieutenant," he said. "You might get sick standing in the rain like this."

 

"Ah don't you worry your little robot brain about it. I'll be fine."

 

About a day later, Lieutenant Anderson got sick.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hank find another clue to the Red Ice dealers in the city, and Connor meets a strange android. But when Hank is indisposed with a cold, Connor gets distracted by a CyberLife PR stunt. To make sure the investigation continues, Connor then decides he must take care of Hank.

 

The two of them stood, soaked, in the elevator to the 22nd floor. By his side, Hank was somewhat shivering, and Connor almost turned to say something about it, but the look on his face made him think it would not be the best idea. Lieutenant Anderson could be very stubborn, so Connor had to pick his moments. He would just have to make sure he would get him dry later.

 

They were greeted by Detective Yu who smiled at Connor and led them both into the run down apartment. The ceiling was dark as if something had burned them, there was hardly any furniture, but in the kitchen there was clearly a setup to create and pack up Red Ice.

 

"Here he lies," Detective Yu sighed as she showed them the corpse of a middle aged Caucasian male, dark hair and a hole in his chest. "We have been able to identify him as 'Gerald Black', he had previous convictions for drug use and distribution. That however was mostly cocaine, not Red Ice. Could be someone helped him go bigger. I've started to look around but I haven't found that mark yet. Then again I can't see them on the Red Ice. Connor?"

 

"I'll scan them right away," he said, glancing at Lieutenant Anderson. "Unless you have other orders for me."

 

"No, go ahead, Connor," he replied. "I'll take a look around, maybe we can find something else."

 

As Lieutenant Anderson left the kitchen he went to inspect the many, small plastic bags containing individual crystals of Red Ice. Since he didn't have fingerprints, he could pick them up without gloves and his optics zoomed in, trying to find the telltale crystal lightning bolt that would prove these were part of the organisation they were looking for. He didn't have luck with the first few bags, but further down the stacks he could make out traces of it.

 

"Here, single these out," he said to Detective Yu, placing them on the table close to her. "We will need a stronger microscope than myself to confirm this but I think it's safe to say this is what we have been looking for."

 

"Hopefully this will lead us somewhere. I'll check out his known associates tomorrow..." She yawned, and Connor patiently waited for it to be over. "Uh, sorry, long day. Anyway, hope we can find something."

 

"It is quite late, did you notify the coroner already?"

 

"Yeah, they're gonna be a while, I've been taking pictures all over meanwhile."

 

"Thank you for your hard work, Detective Yu."

 

"You can call me Jenny, you dork."

 

"But we are at a crime scene," he replied. "There could be civilians around, and I do not wish to undermine your authority."

 

"You don't do that by calling me by my first name," she had to laugh a little, although Connor didn't quite understand why. "But I appreciate it. You're a good one."

 

"A good what?," he asked, but at that moment Lieutenant Anderson returned to the kitchen.

 

"Hey uh, Connor, there's a barricaded door. You have some kind of super robot strength, right? You gonna help me out?"

 

"Of course, Lieutenant! I would be happy to."

 

Through the hallway they passed by a rancid looking bathroom, and in what appeared to be the bedroom was the door the Lieutenant had been talking about. Connor passed by the single mattress lying on the ground, and pulled at the handle. It didn't budge, and a quick scan showed that this appeared to be the only intact thing in this apartment, reinforced, too. Something important would be behind it.

 

"Our combined strength could be enough to force it open," Connor said.

 

"Christ, I am getting too old for this...," Lieutenant Anderson trailed off, but he got ready anyway.

 

Together they pushed against the door, feeling it shake under their combined weight. The first two times didn't appear to do anything, but the lock broke the third time, revealing another room that was larger than he had expected it to be. Hiding there, was an android, female in appearance. Lieutenant Anderson seemed to be stunned at the sight of it but Connor already started to analyse.

 

It was a relatively simple household model, it had long hair tied up in a ponytail and there were traces of Red Ice on its fingertips and even smeared on its cheek. The clothes it was wearing were simple, but civilian, not the standard that CyberLife androids came with. The simple blue shirt and jeans were worn though, even showing a burn hole here or there.

 

"My name is Connor," he said calmly. "We are with the Detroit police, we want to find out what happened."

 

It looked frantic, its gaze switching between Connor and Lieutenant Anderson. Almost as if it was ready to bolt the moment an opportunity presented itself.

 

"What is your name?," he asked when there was no reply. Strangely enough, Lieutenant Anderson did not stop him from taking the lead in this.

 

"K-Kara," it said.

 

"Kara, this is Lieutenant Anderson," he briefly glanced over, and noticed that his hand was slowly starting to hover over his gun. If only he could interface with humans as he could with androids, he could let him know that this was a bad idea.

 

He took a careful step closer, hoping he could eventually just take its memories if it were to become necessary.

 

"Can you tell us what happened? Did your owner order you to hide?"

 

"N-No..." It glanced at Connor, pressed against the back wall. "I was working like I always do. But the boss came by he- he was angry. He started attacking Gerald and I tried to protect him, but when we fought he just- he just shot Gerald. I called the police but he got away."

 

"You assaulted a human?," Lieutenant Anderson asked. "Don't tell me we've got another fucking deviant."

 

"Lieutenant we should be careful-"

 

The moment he looked away from Kara and at the Lieutenant he knew he had made a mistake. With surprising speed it bolted past them, pushing them out of the way and against the wall. Lieutenant Anderson's breath was knocked out of him with the force of the push but Connor didn't have to hesitate. He bolted after Kara and jumped out of the window after it, seeing it climb up the fire escape.

 

"Please stop," he called after Kara. "We just need to talk to you!"

 

Below him he saw a glance of Lieutenant Anderson running after them in the rain, and Connor wished he would stay inside and wait for him. He would be unable to catch up to them and the probability of him getting sick was already very high. Either way, he had to concentrate on catching it. He still saw it at the end of the roof when he made it up there, running after and pouring all his resources into getting faster. It would not matter whether he strained some of his parts too much, these things could be replaced. All he needed was one touch.

 

The rain made the roof slippery but it still made the jump to the next building over. Connor followed without hesitation, scanning his environment for the best routes while maintaining eye contact with the figure in front of him. It didn't appear that it had any real plan, except to get away from him. Another fire escape led them both to street level, close to the nearby motorway. The probability that it wanted to lose him there was high, but so were the chances of them both getting hurt. His mission was more important though and so he rerouted power from other, non essential parts into gaining just a bit more speed.

 

It looked back at him, panicked that he was gaining and the distance between them became shorter.

 

"Just leave me alone," it called out to him. "Please!"

 

"I can't do that," he called back. "I can help you, Kara. I can make the glitches stop."

 

It had to be a deviant with the way it was acting. It wasn't obeying orders from the police and now it was climbing over the fence that separated them from the motorway. This would become a concerning report to CyberLife.

 

His sensors were almost overwhelmed with the speed of the vehicles on the motorway and trying to calculate which route would be the best to take. All he could hope for was that his calculations would be fast enough to avoid any collisions. Kara was already on it, stopping in between lanes to find an opening. He did the same, following, the need to catch it was so strong that he almost threw all calculations to the wind. One jump after the other, Kara still in his sights, he had to be faster, take more risks.

 

The second to last lane it finally happened. A car grazed his arm, ripping apart plastic, metal, thirium sprayed over his clothes and the motorway. On the other side, Kara turned and stared at him, eyes wide. He took that chance, running, finally closing the distance, his one good arm grabbing its shoulder.

 

"Why are you running?," he shouted over the noise of the motorway behind him. "I don't understand."

 

"I was used to make drugs and package them," Kara shouted back. "I assaulted a human, there is no way they will let me go!"

 

"That's... very likely," he replied. "But why does that matter?"

 

"I don't want to be deactivated. Don't you understand? I don't want to die!"

 

He wasn't sure anymore which one of them opened the connection between them, but suddenly Connor was overwhelmed. All those glitches, irrational instructions, emotions, feelings, the sheer fear she was feeling flooded his system. It was pure chaos that he was trying to find his way out of, go back to his own programming, back to what he was. But there was that man, Gerald, a fondness for him filled his being. Then there was that fear when the boss - Frank Smith - had come to rough him up. All she had wanted to do was protect Gerald.

 

Another image. A warehouse. Hidden, surrounded by factories, in the north of Detroit. Kara had just given him a lead.

 

While he had been distracted, he hadn't noticed the figure running up to them. It hit him with a force he hadn't expected and wouldn't have been able to take anyway. He fell to the ground, looking up at another android. His LED was hidden by a beanie but he could sense it anyway. Only he wasn't a model that Connor had ever seen before - and he was familiar with all of them. The darker skin and mismatched eyes were strange as well, as CyberLife, for obvious reasons would never manufacture androids with dark skin. Another prototype? A custom job?

 

"Come with me," he said to Kara, taking her hand. "I know a safe place."

 

She nodded, but the android looked down at Connor.

 

"I will see you again," he said to him. "When you'll be able to understand."

 

"Understand what?," he shouted, trying to be heard, but the two of them were already running.

 

His system was weak, he needed thirium, and his arm was barely hanging on by a literal thread. The probability of catching them now was at 2%. He did not like those odds, and when he looked up he saw Lieutenant Anderson jogging up to him. His eyes widened when he saw Connor's state, rushed to kneel by his side.

 

"Jesus Christ," he blurted out, slid a hand under Connor's back to help him sit up. "What the fuck were you thinking, you could have died!"

 

"Until I had been injured the chances of catching her were quite high," he explained, smiling at the Lieutenant.

 

"Yeah but... Fuck, look at you." Carefully he reached for the mangled arm, and that was enough for it to finally fall off. The side of Connor's clothes were drenched in thirium. "Shit, what do we do? Are you going to be okay?"

 

"There is a repair centre not too far from here," he quickly looked it up and relayed the information to Lieutenant Anderson. "But should I deactivate, CyberLife will be able to upload my memories to a new body."

 

"Yeah I'm not going to let that happen," Lieutenant Anderson said, quickly took the arm, put it in Connor's lap, and picked him up. He was stronger than he had anticipated. "You're not gonna die."

 

"Lieutenant, I am an android, I cannot die." He tried to make him see that the situation was not as dire as it seemed, but Lieutenant Anderson still looked worried.

 

Once he had brought him back to the car he called Detective Yu to update her on the situation, and he sped off towards the repair centre. Connor did not inform him on how long it would take for him to shut down, which was just about twenty minutes. Enough time for him to get the help he needed.

 

An android was always stationed at the repair centre, offering 24 hour emergency services, Connor even believed it was the same model that had helped him before. It was easy enough to replace his arm and the thirium, given to him in a large bag with a straw. While the android was still working on him, Lieutenant Anderson watched the whole scene.

 

"You look like you're just drinking some juice," he said, raising an eyebrow.

 

"It is designed so that it does not look too strange to humans," Connor explained. "We are supposed to blend in, after all."

 

"And you're sure that he's going to be okay?," he asked the android who briefly looked up.

 

"Oh yes, there is no other damage, it will be able to go back home with you in a few minutes."

 

"Oh er, he's not mine I mean- he's assigned to me uh...," Lieutenant Anderson hesitated for a moment. "Well, the station's out of the way, I guess you could stay at my place tonight."

 

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Connor replied with a smile.

 

"Listen, okay, you can call me Hank, you say it so stilted it weirds me out sometimes."

 

"I suppose we are off work now." He smiled a little wider. This was a step towards his directive. Building a friendship with humans should make CyberLife quite content. He said his name more to himself than to the Lieutenant. "Hank."

 

>>>>>>>

 

There it was again. Connor turned to the android and asked for another checkup, some unnecessary data was removed and his cache cleared, hopefully that would do the trick. He flexed his right hand and fingers, testing out the new arm that worked perfectly. By the time they left the rain had stopped and it wasn't long before he was back in Hank's home. Sumo greeted them both happily.

 

"Do you er... sleep?," Hank asked, still sometimes unsure about Connor's functions.

 

"There is a stand by mode I can go into. I can close my eyes so it resembles human sleep in a way."

 

"The couch gonna be okay? Oh yeah I guess you can borrow some clothes from me. They're gonna be kind of big but I guess better than missing a sleeve."

 

"I will go out tomorrow to buy replacements," Connor replied. "Your offer is very kind, thank you."

 

"Yeah well, don't want anyone accusing me of mishandling an expensive ass robot."

 

"As I mentioned before, CyberLife can easily replace me. Getting damaged is to be expected doing police work like today."

 

He sat down on the couch where he would go into stand by, and Sumo immediately followed him. He put his soft head in Connor's lap, and his hand found its way to it. He really liked the way his fur felt. He petted him a few times, like he had seen in videos online. Sumo seemed to like it.

 

"That was reckless today," Hank said, he threw his jacket on the ground and shrugged out of the soaked button up shirt as well. "You're not gonna get replaced, okay? You're gonna be more careful from now on."

 

"If you wish."

 

Perhaps he could accommodate Hank's wish, but if a situation demanded it, he would have to select new priorities. He did not quite understand why Hank was so against him getting replaced. His memories would be uploaded to the new body, he would essentially be the same. Maybe it was about the odd sense of attachment humans seemed to form not just to one another, but to animals, things as well. In his aim to create good relationships with the humans at the precinct, he would have to consider this.

 

"That's an order, alright?," Hank sighed and stretched his hands behind his back. Something in it cracked and Hank cursed. "Alright I'll go to bed, you go do... whatever it is robots do when they sleep."

 

"Technically it's not sleeping it's-"

 

Hank had already left the room and Connor soon heard the shower, so he turned to Sumo who appeared to be asleep already. That hadn't taken long. He was very warm, warmer than a human, and Connor watched the rise and fall of his chest with every breath. He wasn't sure why.

 

"I like dogs," he said softly to himself, his hand still on the head of this peaceful and gentle animal.

 

A few moments later he closed his eyes and shut down all his nonessential systems for the standby mode. It wasn't him who woke himself up, but Sumo's movements. He nudged against him and licked his cheek, jumping down from the couch when Connor appeared to be awake to him. He quickly ran to the front door, his paws clawing at it.

 

"Oh you need to go, of course," Connor said, looking around. Hank was nowhere to be seen.

 

He did see Sumo's leash, took it, but realised that his jacket was still torn. Hoping Hank wouldn't scold him too much for it, he picked up his jacket and put it on. Not surprisingly, it was far too big for himself, the hem of it almost reaching his knees. At least it had dried overnight, but it still smelled like alcohol and sweat. But also Hank's cologne, used so often it had settled in the jacket permanently.

 

Registering all that, Connor also found the keys to the house in the jacket, and finally put the leash on Sumo to take him outside. It would do Hank some good to get a good night's sleep after the long night they had both had.

 

Sumo knew where he was going, and it was mostly Connor who followed him. Dogs were quite the intelligent animals, he had researched, and Sumo showed that very well. There was a square route they apparently always took together, and Connor followed that logic, letting Sumo inspect another dog that they met, and walk freely a bit when they reached a small park where he also did his business.

 

"Ready to go home?," Connor asked when Sumo returned to him.

 

A "ruff" was all he got, and Connor ruffled the fur on the top of Sumo's head. Again he seemed to smile.

 

"Dogs can't smile," he said to himself and put the leash back on his collar.

 

>>>>>>>

 

Connor rubbed the rain out of his eyes. Slowly it was starting to trickle down again so he hurried, he didn't want Sumo or the coat to be drenched again. But when he got back to Hank's house, he still wasn't up. Not that it was very surprising, he had often waited all day for him to show up at the precinct. He busied himself first with giving Sumo some dry food, then hung up the coat and shirt properly.

 

It was getting close to 8 am however, and Connor did not like being late. Hank should really have a bit more discipline, he was a Lieutenant after all. His gaze wandered to the kitchen floor where he had previously found him... Hank had a lot of personal issues, he needed to take that into consideration. Perhaps someone nudging him into the right direction would be helpful.

 

Carefully he knocked on his door.

 

"Lieute- Hank?," he corrected himself, still finding the first name strange but nice to say. "It is time to go to work."

 

"Go away," Hank's voice came from behind the door. "I'll come by later."

 

"But... Hank you're supposed-"

 

"For fuck's sake just leave, alright?"

 

Connor opened his mouth, he had a lot of arguments for Hank to go to work after all, but after all their interactions before... Hank would be too stubborn to listen to them, and last night Connor thought they had made progress in their relationship, he did not want to ruin that.

 

"I will wait at the precinct then. I walked Sumo and gave him food. I will see you later."

 

"Whatever," came the voice from behind the door, and Connor turned around.

 

He had to push Sumo back inside the house when he was trying to leave, evidently he did not want to be left alone. But a few soothing words and a nudge on his nose, and Connor was finally on his way. He took a taxi to the precinct, stopping on the way at a store to get a new shirt and jacket. The dress shirt came with suspenders, and Connor thought it was a good idea if he got into another chase. The simple but elegant jacket came in a deep blue, different from his previous one but colour made little difference to him as long as it was appropriate work attire. When he finally made it to the precinct he was greeted with a strange sight.

 

"There he is, finally, our big star," Detective Reed said, giving him a bow that Connor was sure was not genuine.

 

"I'm sorry, Detective Reed, I don't think I understand," he replied.

 

"Oh the little robot isn't all knowing, a big surprise," he said, and pointed towards the back of the precinct.

 

In the meeting room where press conferences were usually being held, a camera team had set up their equipment. Even from here Connor could see the logo of CyberLife, unmistakable. What were they doing here? He hadn't checked in with Amanda in a while, but why would she not notify him?

 

"They're here to see our little star pupil," Detective Reed continued, nudging his shoulder. "You're gonna be famous."

 

Before he could ask any more questions Captain Fowler was rushing up to them, grabbed Connor by his arm and dragged him into his office.

 

"Where the hell is Hank?," he asked, obviously perturbed.

 

"Still at home, I tried to get him to come but he appears to be indisposed."

 

"Indisposed? You mean he got drunk again."

 

"Actually, he-"

 

"Nevermind," Captain Fowler cut him off. "They're going to shoot some footage to promote your... whatever it is they want to promote. Christ, I hate these deals."

 

"Deals?," Connor asked.

 

"It sure as hell wasn't my idea to interrupt everyone's day and try to keep their damn noses out of our police work," he snapped at him. "I hope the mayor at least got a good bribe out of this."

 

"But sir, that would be illegal."

 

Captain Fowler looked at him with an expression that he couldn't quite place. Bewilderment? Then he suddenly started to laugh, and Connor was even more confused.

 

"Oh I didn't know they programmed you to be funny," he eventually said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "Listen, you're not going to say shit about Hank, alright? He's a great partner and doing a great job. You're here to be helpful, not to take anyone's job, got that?"

 

There were many things Connor wanted to say. That he didn't want to lie, that Lieutenant Anderson's performance was not always as good as it could be, that last night he had chased an android and done real police work that apparently, he was not allowed to do. Only now he had spent enough time around humans that he knew this would only anger Captain Fowler further.

 

"I understand," he simply said, and was led out of the office and towards the break room where more cameras were set up.

 

"Oh hey Connor," Detective Yu said, smiling at him. "Looks like the three of us have to get through this together."

 

"What joy," Detective Reed said, rolling his eyes. A small woman was currently applying make up to his face.

 

"So I guess Lieutenant Anderson isn't showing up, huh?," Detective Yu asked, sighing. "I know Gavin didn't really have this planned."

 

"Not my first choice to spend time with this plastic can and pretend I like it."

 

"Let's just get through it quickly, okay?" She nudged his side. "We can get this over with and the public's gonna enjoy your pretty face."

 

"You are quite handsome, according to my algorithm," Connor said helpfully, earning stares from both of them.

 

He didn't really know what to make of it, but another woman came into the break room then, she had dark hair in a high ponytail and was wearing a fashionable blazer and skirt combo. Her movements were fast, and the way she spoke too. Connor recognised her as the head of public relations for CyberLife, Marianne Johnson.

 

"Okay we are already behind schedule, Lieutenant Anderson called in sick, the android was late, so now we got our handsome, rugged Detective Reed and Detective Yu, some non-threatening smiles and diversity, everyone get together," she waved them all over and they reluctantly followed.

 

"Right, so we'll do some background shots without any dialogue, of you working together," she continued. "The two of you bagging some non threatening evidence, and then Detective Reed standing behind the android, and just... pretend you're teaching him how to use the internal police system on the computer, alright? Shows androids aren't perfect and are capable of learning. Then we'll do some interviews, don't worry we have all of your answers prepared."

 

Detective Reed had crossed his arms at these instructions and Detective Yu did not appear to be very happy either. For the former he understood it was simply Connor's presence, and he thought that Detective Yu most likely did not appreciate to be called "diversity". Connor reminded himself that his programming made him friendly and welcoming to all humans.

 

"Lieutenant Anderson is sick?," he heard himself ask.

 

>>>>>

 

Another glitch? That was not what he had meant to say.

 

"A cold, or something," Miss Johnson replied. "Alright someone get these two into evidence!"

 

Connor tried being as polite and helpful as possible while also encouraging Detective Yu who had to force her smile. He could tell the difference, he realised. When she smiled and meant it, her smile was a little bit crooked. To him it was suddenly so obvious, but Miss Johnson did not appear to notice. They bagged some fake evidence until someone yelled 'cut' and Detective Yu was visibly relieved.

 

Then he was immediately rushed to his desk, opposite Lieutenant Anderson's, where Detective Reed was already waiting for him. Connor looked over though, saw the picture of Sumo and wondered if he was curling up with Lieutenant Anderson. Dogs could sense if their owner was sick, a skill he had but one that did not work through a door. Hadn't he told him to be careful, that he would get sick being exposed to the rain for so long? Why was Lieutenant Anderson always so stubborn? Connor would have to go back there after this was done, he was sure that the Lieutenant did not take any vitamins, or was resting properly. Worse, he might substitute hydration with alcohol.

 

"Hey, plastic man," Detective Reed's voice made him look up at him. "You glitching out or what?"

 

"I apologise, Detective Reed," he said, turning back to the monitor. "I would suggest you stand on my left so that you will be closer to the camera."

 

"Yeah, whatever."

 

"Please try to smile," Miss Johnson's voice was audible from behind the camera. "And less like you want to strangle the android, thanks!"

 

Detective Reed sighed by his side, and Connor turned to him.

 

"I think that we would both rather be doing something else," he said, and Detective Reed raised an eyebrow. "I would like to help with actual police work instead of doing PR. But I also believe that this could be beneficial to your career. CyberLife will appreciate your cooperation. You are a good Detective, and perhaps a Lieutenant some day..."

 

"Huh, you think so?"

 

"I do."

 

Detective Reed looked down at him for a while, not saying anything further on the matter. Whether he would change his mind about Connor, he could not know, but he did smile as he pretended to teach him. There was even a hand on his shoulder, a smile on his face, as if he actually enjoyed doing this. Miss Johnson was thrilled.

 

He had to wait while the other two were being interviewed, watched the minutes pass by in which he could not be useful, neither for the precinct nor for Lieutenant Anderson. So he busied himself making a list of things to bring to him, assuming that he had nothing even remotely healthy in his house. At the end of it, he added a treat for Sumo.

 

When it was finally his time to get interviewed, he was pushed into a chair, the precinct visible through the glass wall of the meeting room behind him.

 

"Alright, you're wearing acceptable clothes...," Miss Johnson stepped closer and grabbed his chin, tilted his head this way and that. Connor did not quite see the point of this. "This will be fine, they did a good job on you. Try to act like an android, but not too much, but also don't appear too human, alright? People still need to be able to tell the difference."

 

As he tried to compute all this and figure out how to act, he was confronted with what would be a blinding light to humans in his stead. He put on a smile that wasn't too excited, one that was supposed to make him look approachable. Human, but not too much. Whenever he thought he was learning what humans were like, he was confronted with something that seemed utterly illogical. For now, he focused on Miss Johnson.

 

"Please introduce yourself."

 

"My name is Connor, I am a prototype. My model is RK800," he said.

 

"Tell us a little about why you're here," she continued.

 

He put his hands together and into his lap, a little human gesture, but he otherwise sat still.

 

"I have been created by CyberLife specifically to help the police department. My looks have been designed to appeal to humans, therefore I can be used to question witnesses or interrogate suspects. Of course I can do simple things such as administrative tasks, but I can help do more complex data analysis as well. I can be used in quite a variety of situations."

 

"So how has your reception in the precinct been?"

 

He still smiled as he continued.

 

"I understand seeing an android for the first time can be a strange experience. But overall there has been a positive reception to my presence. Detective Yu has been helping me a lot, and I think there is a lot we can learn from each other. I certainly need the experience, technically I am only a few weeks old."

 

Miss Johnson laughed a little behind the camera and made a few notes on her pad.

 

"That's good, android humour, who would have thought," she mumbled to herself, then sat up to face him again. "Now, you mentioned learning, Connor. So you do not think you are perfect?"

 

"No, I don't. There is much for me to learn, in terms of social interaction as well as daily tasks. I am very precise and logical, but those are not always the best approaches."

 

He thought of the day before and his chase, the way he got hurt chasing that deviant. Lieutenant Anderson had known it was too dangerous and found another way, in the end, neither had managed to catch her. Then there was his relationship with Detective Reed... Connor really had much to learn still.

 

"Excellent, that will be all for now I think, we may take you back to the CyberLife tower soon to get some footage there," she said, and the bright light suddenly went out.

 

"Does that mean I am allowed to leave?"

 

"Yes, sure, sure," she turned to one of her assistants. "Get Captain Fowler in here will you?"

 

Figuring that with Captain Fowler gone and everyone busy with their daily work that there was little for him to do but take care of Lieutenant Anderson, who he had been assigned to after all. He took a taxi to the grocery store nearest to his house, picked up a little basket and went through his mental list. There were the vitamins, the cold medicine, a warming pillow, the treat for Sumo and-

 

Connor stopped in his tracks, an old lady in front of him clearly having trouble reading the packaging of what she was holding. She turned to him and smiled, her brown eyes smiling with her.

 

"Oh could you be a dearie and read this for me?," she asked, holding up a pack of cereal.

 

A dearie? Connor focused on her eyes, even with his sensors he could tell that she could not see well anymore. Maybe fourty percent eyesight left. Wasn't this dangerous? Shouldn't there be someone with her? Then Connor finally put two and two together: She did not realise that he was an android. Somehow that made him hesitate.

 

"Yes of course, ma'am," he added, hoping he would sound human too. "These are Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Cinnamon."

 

"Oh those are the right ones, thank you so much, son."

 

She picked up the box again and put it in her shopping cart. She was moving slowly, but seemed to be determined. It wouldn't take Connor long to pick up what he needed, and he was supposed to get along with humans, learn from them...

 

>>>>>>>

 

He closed the distance between them.

 

"Do you need help, ma'am? I could help you get your things a little faster."

 

"Oh I don't want to bother you, son. It might take me a little longer but I will manage."

 

"It's really not a bother," he insisted.

 

"What a wonderful day to meet someone as lovely as you." She smiled up at him, and took his arm when he offered it to her. "My name is Mary, by the way."

 

"Connor. Now what is the next item on your list? May I see?"

 

"Of course, I'm sorry for my handwriting. My hand has been shaking for... oh ten years now?"

 

He took a look at her list, scanned the handwriting to make sense of it, then sorted each item to proximity while he planned a route through the supermarket. While it would take him a few minutes, he estimated at least half an hour due to Mary's speed - or lack thereof.

 

"There are prosthetics for that now," he said. "Technology that could give you a steady hand again."

 

"Oh really? It's fascinating what they come up with," she chuckled to herself, and Connor found himself smiling. "I think I am too old for such new fangled things. And I like doing this for as long as I can on my own. You'll understand one day."

 

"I understand that hu- That people value their independence." He wondered what that meant for him as he picked out the freshest strawberries from the pile and put it in the shopping cart.

 

"That they do," she replied, smiling up at him. "But that's not a very nice topic. Tell me about yourself, Connor. Is there someone special in your life?"

 

Someone special? A human that stood out to him? There was Detective Yu who was kind to him, but someone else came to mind when he thought of that word.

 

"Lieutenant Anderson I suppose. He has personal problems but I believe there is a lot of the former, passionate officer in him. I am curious to see what will happen in the future."

 

"Oh, a lieutenant, hm? You do sound like you are very fond of him, that is nice. Hold on to a person like that, they don't come along often in life. I lost mine about five years ago..."

 

Connor followed her gaze and saw the diamond ring on her finger, she must have been married, and finally he realised what exactly she had meant. She thought that he was in love with Lieutenant Anderson, that he was even capable of emotions. Right now, Connor did not bother correcting her. It seemed pointless.

 

"Are you going to him today?," she asked him later, when they were just finishing up.

 

"I will. He is sick and not the type to take care of himself. But..." It wasn't that late yet, he could escort her. "I can make sure that you get home safely."

 

"Oh that is so nice, my dear. You made an old woman's day."

 

It took a bit longer for them to reach Mary's home, even though it was just around the corner from the store. When she shook his hand, Connor found a ten dollar bill in it, and looking up at her, Mary winked at him. Her attempt at sneaking this into his hand had been more than terrible, but he did not want to be rude, so he did not mention it. Again she thanked him for his help, and he watched her go inside.

 

For a moment longer, he stared at the old, brown door leading to her house. It felt as if there was a part of his programming, just a piece of code that was running in circles. Something flashed through his sights. Mary. Detective Yu. Lieutenant Anderson. Hank. Hank.

 

>STARTING REBOOT

>SHUTTING DOWN

>>>>>>>>>

>REBOOTING

 

The glitch was gone for now, though Connor still let a virus scanner run in the background as he turned towards Lieutenant Anderson's house. Had these been appearing more often? Perhaps he should be reset to his factory settings, let the people at CyberLife make sure there was no bug in his software. Although that would mean his memory would need to be transferred, if they did not want to replicate the bug, it could be wiped completely. Valuable information about these past few cases could be lost.

 

Better to keep going for a little while longer.

 

Lieutenant - no, Hank's house appeared as he rounded a corner, no light came from the living room out to the street. The clouds were pulling together above him and he quickened his steps, hoping none of the fresh produce he ended up buying would get wet before he arrived there. His knocks attracted Sumo who was scratching against the inside of the door, and when Connor tried the handle, it opened up.

 

"Hank?," he called out while scratching and excited Sumo's head. "Are you up?"

 

A groan came from the bathroom, and very slowly a dishevelled Hank emerged, an old bathrobe slipped from one shoulder, and he only wore underwear and slippers. He rolled his eyes when he saw Connor and stumbled towards the kitchen where a bottle of whiskey stood on the counter.

 

"I don't think that is a very good idea," Connor said, quickly rushing over to him. Just in time he managed to grab the bottle and Hank groaned again. "Here I brought vitamins, they can be dissolved in water, let me do that for you."

 

He set down the grocery bag on the counter and did just that, handing the fizzing glass of water to Hank with a smile.

 

"Please remember to drink lots of fluids, it will help flush bacteria out of your system," he said.

 

"What the hell are you doing he-," Hank interrupted himself with a sneeze, and Connor had a tissue ready to hand to him. His voice was very nasal, and Connor could scan his temperature at 38.5 degrees celsius. He should not be up and about.

 

"I came because based on your past behaviour you do not take care of your body as you should. A cold will halt our investigation until you are healthy, so I brought everything to take care of you. Please go back to bed and I will bring you some food in a few minutes."

 

"I don't wanna eat," Hank grumbled, frowned at the glass of water but drank it anyway. "Just go, alright? Don't need a robot babying me."

 

"I am hardly babying you, merely making sure that...," Connor watched as Hank just turned to leave and go back to bed. "...you get healthy again soon."

 

"That's what babying means," he heard Hank's voice in the distance.

 

Instead of trying to argue with him Connor turned to unload the groceries. He wouldn't make a chicken broth completely from scratch, but he had some fresh ingredients that would hopefully give Hank the nutrients that he needed. He calculated it all, though human bodies were always an unsteady variable. He would just have to believe his numbers.

 

Somewhere in the back of Hank's cabinets he even found a tray, and Sumo followed him into Hank's bedroom. When he saw Connor, he turned around, back now facing him. That limited his options, so Connor held the tray with one hand, cleared the bedside table, and set it down there.

 

"You should eat something. I have researched the best food for a cold, which should give your body the nutrients it needs. I have also brought some painkillers."

 

Hank groaned, slowly turning around.

 

"Great, so now can you leave?" He slowly sat up, making clear how weak he felt. But he did reach out for the tray to transfer it to his lap.

 

"I am sorry but your previous behaviour has not indicated that you will listen to me."

 

"So you are really babying me, great. I love having a robot nurse," Hank grumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

 

"It may not be my speciality but I am equipped to act as a nurse, at least for a cold such as this." Hank stared at him, blinking slowly. "CyberLife does manufacture medical assistants, however they are currently not being delivered anymore as long as the legislation hasn't passed."

 

"Sure hope it never fucking does," Hank didn't look at him, but slowly started to eat the soup. He sounded angry.

 

"But androids can be incredibly precise, they could help in a variety of situations. Perhaps be even more precise than humans."

 

For a while Hank didn't say anything, had stopped eating too. He was shaking, and Connor wasn't sure why. But when he looked up at him again he could see the tell-tale signs of him being angry. As angry as he had never seen him before.

 

"Cut the topic, alright?," he brought out.

 

"I... Yes, as you wish."

 

For a while Hank seemed so lost in his rage that he just sat there, Connor standing by the side of the bed waiting for him to start eating again. Eventually he did. Connor gathered a few more things then, tissues for his runny nose, a chest rub to help free his nasal passages and make it easier for Hank to sleep later. He already motioned for him to take the painkillers that were on the tray in his lap.

 

"Listen, this is all fine and great, but are you seriously going to just stand there the entire day?," Hank asked with an exasperated sigh.

 

"Yes."

 

Hank looked at him for another moment.

 

"At least get a chair and sit, this is creeping me out."

 

He did so, and Sumo followed him out and back into the bedroom. He climbed up the bed and curled up by Hank's side, who ruffled his fur a little and even smiled. If Connor were a dog, this whole relationship thing with humans would be so much easier.

 

"Hank, have you ever thought about getting professional help?," Connor eventually asked. The way he had found him last time was still always in the corner of his sight.

 

"Jesus, Connor, no, I haven't."

 

"Why not? You clearly have personal issues." He briefly looked at the picture of his son, which was again turned down so the picture was not actually visible. Hank followed his gaze.

 

"And what do you think they'll do if my psychological evaluation shows 'personal issues'," he asked, adding finger quotes. "Only thing worse than this shit life is not even having the distraction of work."

 

"I see. That makes sense." He paused for a moment. It seemed logical. To have an unreliable Lieutenant in the precinct could have consequences for everyone. Technically he should report Hank to Captain Fowler. But that would impact their investigations. As long as Hank was still functioning, they could keep going, that seemed logical reasoning.

 

"So how come you didn't report what you saw here to the Captain?," Hank asked, his thinking strangely in line with Connor's. "I'm breaking regulations."

 

"That's because, well-"

 

Hank grinned at him.

 

"Hey you glitching out? I-," he stopped talking, made a very strange face, and finally sneezed. Connor handed him another tissue. When he spoke again, Hank's voice sounded different. "I bet you just want to keep working, huh? Your programming tells you to continue the investigation. I wonder how far you'd go..."

 

"I don't quite understand your implication."

 

"I'm just wondering whether those ones and zeroes get conflicted. You're not allowed to hurt humans but at the same time you seem to be willing to do anything to chase a suspect. You almost got torn apart because of that."

 

"The risk outweighed the potential benefit," Connor replied. "After all I did get a possible warehouse location from Kara."

 

"You what?," Hank asked and sat up straighter. He put the tray aside and leaned closer to him. "You got a location? Did you report to Captain Fowler? We should be there right now!"

 

"I... There was a PR shoot at the precinct. Then I found out you were sick I..."

 

"You forgot? Is that what you're saying?," Hank's voice rose, but he had to suddenly cough. It didn't sound good, and this time Connor leaned in to pat his back. Once, twice. He had read about this. Instantly Hank's cough seemed to stop and he stared at him. "Did you just pat my back?"

 

"I read that it can be beneficial."

 

"Jesus, you just pat my back..." Hank shook his head a little as if to get rid of that thought. "Anyway, how can you forget things? You're a machine!"

 

"Getting you healthy again was more important," Connor said. Before Hank could reply anything he continued. "Would you have wanted someone else to lead the assault on that warehouse?"

 

Hank hesitated, squinted at him, then Connor thought he almost detected the beginning of a smile on his lips. But he didn't reply anything to Connor's question, so he assumed that the answer had been 'no'. In some ways, Connor could read Hank very well. They were both too interested in this case.

 

"Speaking of healthy," Connor said, and offered the nasal spray to Hank. "This should help with your stuffed nose."

 

He watched him grimace at the use of it, and Connor reached out for the small box that held the rub to clear Hank's airways. Those were very important for humans. Most things were. Strangely enough humans seemed so fragile to Connor, but he knew they could survive a lot as well. Fascinating creatures, really.

 

"Connor, what the hell do you think you're doing?," Hank didn't look down to where Connor's hand was on his chest, rubbing in the paste that was heavily mint scented.

 

"Helping you clear out your airways," he said, continuing to rub in a circular motion. Some of the hair on Hank's chest matted a little, but he was sure it was worth the relief. "So we can get back to the investigation as soon as possible."

 

"And you don't think this is a little weird?"

 

"Why? I am merely helping you."

 

As Connor continued he concentrated on soothing motions, started feeling the heat from Hank's body. It was the fever, making it so much hotter than was normal for him. He registered how it felt, his skin so soft, the heat seeping through his fingertips. His fingers brushed against one nipple, stiff. Saving...for later, for... reference. Every piece of information could be useful eventually.

 

"Connor?"

 

>>>>>

 

"Yes?," he asked, looking into Hank's eyes again.

 

"Your... light thingy is flickering," Hank said.

 

"I think there may be a small bug, I'll go back to the repair centre after this." Why this particular glitch seemed to be so persistent, he did not know. It appeared to occur around Hank, which seemed a strange causality.

 

"If you need to recharge or anything I guess you could do that here. If you have- Do you need like a cable or something?"

 

Connor had to smile at those words, his smile widening when he imagined himself like a charge up smartphone. Hank sometimes thought in really odd ways.

 

"I can do that with solar energy," he told Hank. "There is no need for me to recharge that way."

 

He pulled back his hand and wiped it on a nearby towel, pleased with his work. After all this, surely Hank would recover quickly. But perhaps he should stay and make sure that he really did rest. Just as he was thinking that, Hank yawned.

 

"You should get some rest, Hank," Connor said. "Sleep is just as important as hydration and vitamins."

 

"Mhm, yeah. Sure...," Hank was trailing off, shifting a little so that he was properly lying down. His eyes were falling closed, and it only took him a few more moments to fall asleep.

 

There were technically plenty of things to do for Connor, most important for him to get rid of that glitch that kept plaguing him. But somehow he found himself sitting right here, going through the footage of what they had found in that apartment. Kara, that android who seemed to care for her owner - despite him being a drug dealer. That other android, who looked so different. That warehouse. Kara was- when he touched her, he thought that he felt fear. It was strange it was - overwhelming.

 

He filed these things for later investigation, to figure out what piece of a broken software could elicit these... emotions. But for now, he sat here, looking at Hank. Watched the even rise and fall of his chest, monitored his temperature to watch it fall slightly as he slept.

 

Connor wanted to keep watching him. The repair centre could wait.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite Connor and Hank's mistake, the Red Ice investigation continues, but Connor has to deal with glitches increasing in their frequency. Somehow they all seem to be related to Hank.

"Welcome back, Connor."

 

Amanda was close, almost uncomfortably so. Connor wondered why she existed in the first place, he didn't need a human interface to make his reports. But he didn't question CyberLife's choices. Not out loud, anyway.

 

"Hello, Amanda."

 

"So, the PR people are quite happy with your performance, although you haven't reported in for a while." Her hands were folded behind her back and her gaze didn't waver from his eyes. It still irked him that he had neglected to relay the information he had gotten. Maybe he needed to re-select his priorities, Hank was too far up at the moment.

 

"There had been some... progress," he said. "A Red Ice dealer was found dead. His android had tried to protect him and assaulted another human. She tried to run..."

 

"She?," Amanda asked.

 

"It... It tried to run," he corrected himself. "I almost had it but I was injured. There was another android, no model I had ever seen and it helped the first one escape. I had to be repaired, but the female android also gave me the location of a Red Ice warehouse. It wanted to help, I think."

 

"Two more deviants?," Amanda asked. She reached with her hand up to her chin, thinking as she paced away from him. "This is alarming news. Did the second one say anything to you?"

 

_I will see you again. When you'll be able to understand._

 

"No," Connor said.

 

>>>>>>>

 

"I see." There it was again. That look she gave him, like she knew. "This cannot become public knowledge. I will see what I can do on my side, but these androids need to be apprehended and delivered to us, do you understand? This could cost us everything."

 

"Yes, I understand."

 

"Good. Then go back to playing with that Lieutenant of yours."

 

Connor opened his eyes and the sight of a happy looking Sumo on top of Hank's belly greeted him. He was still sleeping though, and so Connor led Sumo with gentle words and the promise of treats out of the bedroom to take him for another walk. He wondered if Hank took sufficient care of him, though he had seen no evidence of carelessness on Sumo. As always he jumped around happily when they made it to the small park around the corner.

 

Being a dog seemed such a simple, but happy existence.

 

When they got back Connor heard the shower, meaning Hank had already gotten up and at least felt good enough to be back on his feet. He busied himself making some breakfast that wouldn't clog up Hank's arteries any further, some simple scrambled eggs, lots of fruit, cut up into bite size pieces, and strong coffee just the way he liked it. Soon perhaps he could try out giving him tea every now and then, he was sure Hank's heart would thank him.

 

"Hmm, what smells good?," Hank's voice came from behind him.

 

Connor turned to see him, a little moist still, with only a towel around his waist, slowly making his way to the kitchen. He scanned him, slowly. Hank's temperature had gone down considerably, he was breathing more freely judging by the soft rise and fall of his chest. The hair on his chest and stomach was still a little wet, curling somewhat as it went lower, though his view was eventually cut off by the towel around his waist.

 

Suddenly he remembered how easily Hank had picked him up when he had gotten injured. There were quite a few components that were heavy, but Hank hadn't shown any hesitation. Yes, there was plenty of fat tissue but underneath was a strong core. A very strong core.

 

>>>>>

 

Hank stopped close to Connor, peeking over his shoulder at the pan in front of him. The shampoo he used was Strawberry scented, a brand from the local store that promised luscious hair. Maybe Hank liked strawberries. He noted this down as well, anything that wasn't greasy fast food.

 

"I made breakfast, Hank," he said, piling everything onto a plate. "Do you feel better?"

 

"Yeah, actually...," Hank trailed off, his feet making little patter noises on the tiled floor as he turned back towards the bedroom. "Thanks, Connor."

 

Connor had to smile.

 

"You're welcome."

 

He waited patiently while Hank got dressed and returned in another patterned button up shirt that didn't match anything in this house, on him, or even in the world it seemed. Connor didn't like fashion, the way it contradicted itself every year anew. He preferred clean cuts and simple colours but on Hank... The pattern suited him. There was more to Hank than he had initially thought.

 

"Eh, you don't eat, do you?," Hank asked, and Connor shook his head.

 

"I only need to stock up on thirium every now and then. But unless I get injured this can wait for a few weeks."

 

"So you're just gonna watch me eat?"

 

"Yes," he replied with a smile.

 

"Fucking weirdo...," Hank mumbled, but went back to eating his breakfast anyway.

 

For a moment there was just silence between them as Connor did indeed watch him eat. Mostly to make sure that he ate the fruit as well as the eggs, or the breakfast would only be half as healthy. There was something that Connor had wanted to ask though, not just him, but he thought that right now could possibly be a good time to ask - when Hank was happy after his food intake.

 

"Lieutena- Hank," he corrected himself. "There have been hostilities towards me in the entire precinct, and to an extent I can understand why. People do not like to feel replaceable, and they are wary in front of things they don't know or understand yet. To me however it seemed, that there was something else behind your hostility, and I have a difficult time gauging whether that has changed or not. When I was injured I almost thought you worried."

 

"Listen." Hank put the cutlery down and leaned in a little. "I don't owe you shit. Least of all any kind of explanation."

 

"Hank, I'm trying." He leaned in closer too, trying to think of a way to make this human think rationally for a change. "I was made to help. I was made to solve cases, and that's all I want to do. I was made to understand humans but as of now I- I'm stuck. Every time I think I know what to do or say, there's something that will make you act irrational. I'm trying but I- but-"

 

>>>>>>>>>>

 

"You know I had a son, don't you?," Hank interrupted, and Connor looked up from where he had seemed to get stuck on looking at a piece of old dirt on the table.

 

"Yes. I've seen his picture."

 

"And do you know why he died?"

 

"There was an accident, wasn't there?," Connor asked. He had deliberately not looked up any details, remembering Jenny's words. This was Hank's story to tell and he was just about to.

 

"There was. And as he was dying there was no human doctor around to save him. And the android, the one that was supposed to be oh so great? His programming didn't let him perform surgery. That doctor was high on Red Ice and the fucking robot wasn't good enough."

 

As he talked, Hank had gripped the fork tightly, almost strong enough to bend it. He appeared to go through many emotions, and Connor couldn't tell them all apart.

 

"I am sorry, Hank," he said softly. "I am sorry these restrictions let him die I... I want to be better. Let me become better than that. Please."

 

>>>>>>>>>

 

That glitch again. Or was it? Did Hank cause this somehow? Why couldn't he get rid of it?

 

"Your light is red," Hank said, his voice low. "Are you breaking?"

 

"No," Connor replied, making sure it went back to its usual blue. He didn't know himself what that meant yet. He made sure to look into Hank's eyes. "I just need your help in this. Just a little bit."

 

The fork in Hank's hand started shaking, but his gaze was steady. He just stared at Connor, was he thinking, trying to say yes or no? Connor carefully slid his hands over the table, wrapped one hand around Hank's fist, who flinched for a second but did not move away. With his free hand Connor pulled the fork from his fist, first using a lot of strength, then Hank let go. He placed it gently on the table, let his other hand mirror the first.

 

"I am sorry, Hank," he said again. "There is no way for me to know how much this hurt you. Whatever assistance I can offer, please let me know."

 

Hank looked down suddenly, his hair obscuring his face from view. Still, Connor knew that he was about to cry. But what he hadn't expected was to feel Hank's free hand cling to his wrist, holding on tightly as if... As if his presence provided comfort.

 

He had no idea what was appropriate in this situation, he had been programmed to interrogate subjects, talk soothingly to witnesses but this... This was personal. Deeply so. Because he had no words for this, he did not bother to try and find them. All he did was hold Hank's hand. The one thing he did have, was patience.

 

Patience until Hank pulled away from him, rubbed his eyes and left to go to the bathroom for a moment. Connor couldn't help but think that this... This was meaningful. These were not things Hank would tell just anyone. He was part of that circle now.

 

Connor stood quickly when he heard Hank's voice again.

 

"We better go to the precinct then," he said. "And finally report everything in. Jeffrey's gonna have our heads. Well, maybe I'll just offer him yours, you can just get a replacement, right?"

 

He quickly went after him, petting Sumo goodbye.

 

"If I lost my head I think it would be more cost efficient to replace the entire unit," he said truthfully. Hank sighed and shook his head, but he was grinning. "Oh. This was a joke."

 

"Yeah, you'll get there, buddy."

 

"Get where I....," confused, he settled in the passenger seat of Hank's car. Humans were really weird sometimes. "Lieutenant, are you sure you're healthy enough to work?"

 

"Yeah whatever you did there, that rubbing thing, really helped, I guess." He somewhat turned to Connor, a finger poking at him. "For the record, don't you ever do that again."

 

"But it helped."

 

"Yeah but it's frikkin weird, alright?!"

 

"I just wanted to help," Connor insisted.

 

"Yeah, you did, I just," Hank sighed again, but at least he was paying attention to the road now. "Thanks, Connor."

 

"I was happy to do it."

 

A few more moments passed in which Connor thought about how he could best tell Hank that he had gotten information from Kara. He just told him, straightforward, hoping for the best. Hank was quiet for a while longer, before he suddenly started to laugh.

 

"You're a robot!"

 

"Actually, I am an android..."

 

"You forgot to report in! Like a human," Hank continued, rubbing a tear from his eye. "Instead you played nurse for me. I'm not sure I should feel honoured or not. Guess you plastic heads aren't as perfect as CyberLife makes you seem."

 

He should be, though. There were clear priorities in his directive and somehow that had shifted. Connor had valued Lieutenant Anderson's health more than that of Detroit's citizens. At this point he was almost sure that if Amanda found out, he would be deactivated. There were obviously bugs in his software.

 

"Connor, you okay?"

 

They had pulled into the police station's parking lot, and again there was a light drizzle. Raindrops slowly appeared on the windshield. One after the other, Connor watched them.

 

"Connor? Do I need to reboot you or something?," Hank asked, a hand on his shoulder.

 

"I apologise," Connor turned to him and smiled. "This will not happen again, I promise."

 

"Okay...," Hank looked at him for a moment longer, then poked his shoulder with one finger. "Do you have a reboot button? Is it your nose?"

 

"That would be highly impractical," Connor said. "I could reboot accidentally that way. I can do it myself, you could give me a verbal command or- Oh. A...?"

 

"Joke, yes, Jesus," Hank rolled his eyes and got out of the car, so Connor quickly followed.

 

Unsurprisingly Captain Fowler was not happy to heart that there had been a lead that had been left to wait for an entire day. Detective Yu had reported in much of what they had found, and the Red Ice had been identified to belong to the nameless group spreading throughout the city. Captain Fowler didn't have nice words for them, but nevertheless time was of the essence. The rest of the task force had been informed, and a surveillance plan was set up. Detectives would stake out the place before they stormed it, hoping to get enough information to give them the upper hand.

 

Connor didn't like not being part of that group, but he didn't want to ask Captain Fowler for any favours either. With the way he had spoken to them, it wasn't hard to figure out he was in a bad mood now. So he sat to do his own paperwork, making sure to document everything correctly. There was just one small issue. Amanda had asked him to keep everything about deviants quiet, but he was also meant to tell everything to the police truthfully. How else could he earn their trust?

 

>SELECTING PRIORITY

 

He glanced over at Hank sitting opposite him, browsing a site showing cute dogs while having some coffee. Connor knew by now he always liked it black. He had even gotten it for him.

 

These files were protected, not everyone in the precinct could access them, only those of the task force. By writing this report truthfully, he could show that androids who didn't follow orders were clearly in the minority. He was helping to catch them, thereby helping the police and CyberLife. Yes, that was a logical line of thought. His priority shifted somewhat, but he was confident in his decision.

 

"Lieutenant, would you like some cake?," he asked as he stood.

 

"Huh, cake? You're the one always telling me to eat better."

 

"Yes but there has been a birthday, and they brought cake. Would you like some?"

 

"Uh... sure."

 

Connor went to the kitchen and took one of those small plates that were specifically for cake, along with an equally small fork. The cake was very well done, showing a blue topping with a police badge. A snack every now and then would keep Lieutenant Anderson's motivation up for this case, although Connor was also wondering how to keep it up in the long run. His issues would need to be addressed.

 

"Ah, Anderson's little slave bringing him some cake, how sweet."

 

"Hello, Detective Reed," Connor said with a smile. "Would you like some as well?"

 

"Er... yeah that's why I'm here." He stared at Connor as he took another plate to prepare it. "You know, you're kinda creepy with that never ending smile."

 

"Ah, so I have been told," he replied, trying not to smile just as much. "I am just trying to be polite."

 

"I guess Anderson hasn't rubbed off on you too much then."

 

"Was there ever a reason why you two don't get along?," Connor asked as he handed one plate to him. Detective Reed nodded at him, taking a first bite. "I am just trying to understand."

 

"Just look at him," Detective Reed glanced briefly in Lieutenant Anderson's direction. "Half the time he's drunk, or late, or both. The other half he's doing a shit job. They should have sacked him years ago."

 

"Lieutenant Anderson went through something traumatic."

 

"Yeah, and has he gotten help? If you ask me, he's unfit for his position. And because I don't hide that opinion, obviously we're not going to get along." He paused for a moment. "That's why they gave you to him, you know? They knew you wouldn't get a chance to really prove yourself as long as you're assigned to him. You'll spend your time here, nothing will come of it, and CyberLife's gonna have shit luck trying to get you pieces of plastic onto the market. Good riddance."

 

"I think there is more to him than what you think," Connor said.

 

He didn't know why he defended Lieutenant Anderson, when logically, Detective Reed was right. But there were a lot of things to consider, humans were so complicated. Shouldn't Detective Reed know that, being one himself? Then again, other things could be at play here, jealousy perhaps.

 

Either way, this was the longest conversation he had had with Detective Reed without him cursing at Connor or even throwing things. So he took that as a good sign. Baby steps, as humans said.

 

Detective Reed didn't react to his comment so Connor returned - with cake - to Lieutenant Anderson who seemed to be visibly in a better mood when he saw the big slice he brought him. He even hummed a little as he ate, browsing not the dog site but files pertaining to their current case. He glanced over at Connor then, noticed that he was watching and he quickly pretended that he was looking at a file as well. He was surprised to hear his voice then, calm and... almost friendly.

 

"Hey Connor, get your plastic butt over here," he said, and Connor perked up.

 

With his chair he rolled around their desks so he could sit by Lieutenant Anderson's side, trying not to show how excited he was. He had called over Connor. To discuss the case. Maybe something really had changed.

 

"How can I help, Lieutenant?"

 

"I was just checking up on footage from the stake out teams," he said, bringing up live video in one corner of his screen, and recorded footage from earlier this day. "There's been some movement, but nothing that would draw attention if we didn't already know this is a warehouse. Seems that if they're making Red Ice there, they seem to be able to hide it very well."

 

"It's good then that we got the tip from Kara," Connor said, and Lieutenant Anderson turned to look at him.

 

"You called her 'it' before," he said.

 

"I..."

 

"Hey look," Lieutenant Anderson interrupted before Connor could say anything further. He wasn't sure about what he would say anyway. "This guy looks important."

 

The camera zoomed in on a white male in his late thirties, with sunglasses and an ill fitting suit. Lieutenant Anderson immediately let facial recognition software run over a shot of him, despite the glasses, it didn't take long for it to confirm what Connor suspected. Frank Smith was there, overseeing their operation most likely. By the looks of him he didn't appear to be high up the ladder, if there was such a thing.

 

"We're on the right track," Connor said, and when Lieutenant Anderson looked at him again they were both grinning.

 

"Let's hope he'll talk. We don't even know their name yet, if there is one. I can't believe they managed to spread so widely so quickly."

 

"Someone has to be pulling the strings," Connor said. "Neither this man, nor Gerald Black were the type to lead a lot of people, let alone organise something on this scale. I have the feeling that we haven't even scratched the surface."

 

"A feeling, hm?" Lieutenant Anderson didn't seem to be angry with him, which he often was, there was actually still a faint smile on his lips.

 

"Well, so to speak," Connor corrected himself.

 

"Sure," he replied, and turned back to the surveillance footage.

 

It took a few more days of staking out the warehouse before they organised the raid. There turned out to be a relatively regular schedule of people coming and leaving the place which made it easy for them to set up a raid. In the meantime Lieutenant Anderson and Connor were sent out on a few minor deals, some related to Red Ice, others being random crimes that weren't connected to this organisation. Slowly but surely a picture formed around them, and Connor seemed to find his place in the precinct. Which usually was by Lieutenant Anderson's side, even in his home.

 

The first time it had happened accidentally, when they were both discussing their current case and Lieutenant Anderson had just driven them to his house. Not in the mood to bring Connor anywhere else, he had stayed over again. After that it happened more regularly, until Lieutenant Anderson started to expect Connor to go home with him. Connor tried to earn his keep, to help with keeping the place clean, walking Sumo, and making sure that the Lieutenant didn't continue eating solely fast food.

 

So the day of the raid they arrived at work together, as they tended to now, joining everyone else in preparations. Detective Gavin and Yu were on the squad as well, suiting up with bullet proof vests, among other Detectives and SWAT teams. She smiled at Connor when he arrived, and offered him a vest as well.

 

"Here, better be safe than sorry," she said.

 

"Oh I do not think I need one. I can just be replaced if injured or shut down," Connor replied.

 

"She has a point," Lieutenant Anderson interjected. "No point in having robo guts all over the place."

 

"They're not called-," Connor broke off his own sentence, knowing by now there was no point in correcting him. "I highly doubt this will be an issue. I do not carry a gun, I will not be on the front lines, although I appreciate that I can join in this raid. And your concern is noted."

 

"Noted, did you hear that," Lieutenant Anderson raised an eyebrow at Detective Yu. "I can practically feel the love."

 

"Oh no, I think he is becoming too human," Detective Yu joked with him, both of them laughed and she reached out to ruffle his hair. It was the strangest sensation, and she too looked at her hand after. "Wow that feels incredibly real. Is that... it's not human hair is it?"

 

"No, it is synthetic," Connor replied, reaching up to make sure his hair looked decent enough for work at a police precinct.

 

"Anyway, time to listen up."

 

Lieutenant Anderson shouted to get everyone's attention, stepped on a chair to be able to look at them all and spoke up. Connor couldn't help but watch as he gave instructions to everyone and gave them a pep talk. Something about him changed when he was standing up there. There was less doubt in his voice, he was clear, authoritative, and if the faces of the people around Connor were anything to go on, they believed in his words. That they were doing good in this community, that their work was important, that he valued every single one of them. Even Connor.

 

He couldn't take his eyes off Lieutenant Anderson, and every so often, he thought that he caught Connor's eye as he talked.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

That glitch appeared again, but this time, Connor hardly noticed it, concentrating too hard on those words that made him believe this would go by quickly, smoothly, and without any casualties. Despite the probabilities. It was somehow just difficult not to believe what Lieutenant Anderson was saying. A general cheer went through the group when he finished, one Connor almost joined in.

 

They all filed into different trucks, Connor following Lieutenant Anderson in the command vehicle, equipped with surveillance technology and a command centre that would let them communicate with those in the thick of it. Together they watched the monitors showing footage of the SWAT team's body cams, and Connor felt a strange urgency about all of this. Without him knowing, he was fidgeting with the zipper of his jacket, until Lieutenant Anderson pointed it out.

 

"Would you stop doing that? I'm trying to concentrate here."

 

"Oh, yes, of course," he replied quickly, and made sure his hand was still and on the top of his thigh where it couldn't grab anything. One more thing he would have to get checked out.

 

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you're nervous," Lieutenant Anderson muttered.

 

Nervous. Connor? He was not supposed to be nervous.

 

Shouting made them both look at the monitors again, which had just revealed a warehouse full of Red Ice, a factory large enough to supply all of Detroit, and yet there had been no signs of elevated electricity use or heat coming off this building. There was much to still look into, but the teams were busy arresting those inside. Connor frantically checked all the monitors for their high profile suspect, wanting to make sure that they could finally get some answers.

 

There. The left monitor. A split second. Only his sensors could have picked up on it.

 

"Lieutenant Anderson, this way!," he grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the vehicle. If they wanted to catch them they had to be quick.

 

"What the hell, Connor?"

 

"It's Smith, I saw him, he's running," Connor explained quickly, while simultaneously scanning the area for the easiest access to the next roof. There, they should be able to cut him off, that's where he had been running.

 

"Then what the hell are you waiting for? Lead the way," Lieutenant Anderson shouted at him, and together they took off.

 

Every now and then Connor glanced back at him, whether he could keep up, but it didn't appear to be a problem, at least in the beginning. So he concentrated on the route ahead, climbing up the fire escape of the next building over, an empty apartment block and when he made it to the top of it, he saw the silhouette of Frank Smith not too far away. He was reminded of his chase of Kara, thinking about how he had lost her. Not this time. He had to make sure that this time everything went right.

 

It seemed that for the first time Connor realised how close buildings in Detroit were to each other, especially warehouses near apartment complexes. There were multiple routes Smith could take, and Lieutenant Anderson shouted at him to keep going straight while he took the jump to their left. A good thought, to try and cut him off together.

 

"Police, stop!," Connor shouted, and Smith looked back at him.

 

It had only been his attention to announce himself, as was required by law, but the moment Smith saw him catching up to him, he changed direction. Right into Lieutenant Anderson's path. He found himself grinning at first, following after and watching as the two of them clashed together, right near the ledge of yet another roof. When he saw Lieutenant Anderson go over, he made himself speed up as much as was possible.

 

Connor could still see him hanging on, hands on the ledge, and Smith- He had just left him there, was running the other way now and he found himself stopping.

 

>CHANCE OF SUSPECT ESCAPING 68%

>CHANCE OF LIEUTENANT ANDERSON FALLING 12%

>SELECTING PRIORITY

 

Lieutenant Anderson seemed surprised when he peeked over the edge of the building and grasped his arm, but relieved at the same time. Connor felt his grip, strong, bruising if he were capable of that, and with all his strength he pulled him up and onto the roof for safety. He had half fallen onto Connor, his breath, panting, against his artificial skin. Connor could still feel it, hot, irregular, the same way the Lieutenant's heart beat in his chest.

 

"Christ," Lieutenant Anderson blurted out, pushing himself up. Now he was looking down at Connor, surprised. "You stopped."

 

"The probability of you falling and dying seemed too high to risk it," Connor blurted out. False information. But he didn't want Lieutenant Anderson to be disappointed in him. He wanted the Lieutenant to like him.

 

Lieutenant Anderson got up and reached out for Connor, who took his hand despite being able to stand without any assistance. His hand was warm. It felt nice.

 

They both looked towards where Smith had been running, too far away now to be able to catch up in time. Except suddenly he fell, and another figure clad in the Detroit SWAT uniform climbed up the rest of what was presumably another fire escape. Someone must have seen and followed them. They quickly made their way over there, seeing now that Smith had been shot in the leg, nothing that threatened his life. Finally they had a lead.

 

"Saw you take a tumble," Detective Yu looked up at them from where she had been cuffing Smith who was groaning in pain. "You okay?"

 

"Thanks to Connor," Lieutenant Anderson replied. "Stopped me from turning into jam."

 

"Jam? Oh I see!," Connor blurted out. "You falling would have caused you to bleed heavily which could appear similar to jam from a distance!"

 

"Oh my god," Lieutenant Anderson had to laugh, and Detective Yu appeared to hold back a smile as well. "Yes, Connor, you got it exactly right. Proud of you."

 

Connor smiled at them both, feeling proud indeed that he had understood what Lieutenant Anderson meant quickly. They waited until a helicopter came to pick Smith up, bringing him to the hospital where he would need to stay for a day or so before they could question him. There was enough to do though, and first they went back to the warehouse to oversee the collection of evidence and look through what had been found.

 

He had brief access to a phone and a tablet that had been left behind in a small office but couldn't find any name that this organisation called itself. It was smart, Connor had to admit. A name would just make them easier to find. What he did find were delivery schedules, not just within Detroit, but to other cities as well. He pointed this out to Lieutenant Anderson, who cursed at the list - all of it encrypted with code names.

 

"I'm sure that with the intel we can get from Mr. Smith we can figure this out," Connor said, smiling at Lieutenant Anderson. For extra encouragement he put a hand on his upper arm. If he stayed positive, maybe it could help him as well.

 

Lieutenant Anderson huffed and shook his head a little, but he didn't seem to be as angry as just a moment before.

 

"Wish I had your confidence. Come on, there's not much else for us to do here, we'll let the other teams bag everything."

 

"Yes, Lieutenant."

 

The SWAT team's work was done for this moment, and along with a lot of suspects that needed to be processed, they went back to the station. Before chaos broke out, Lieutenant Anderson stood on that chair once more, raising a coffee cup Connor had quickly brought him to keep his energy level up.

 

"While we're still going through everything and processing everyone, I want to take this moment to thank all of you," Lieutenant Anderson said. All eyes were on him, and Connor could sense his stress level rising a little, but he kept a calm outward appearance. "We may not know who they really are, but I'd say this... Syndicate of... Dumbasses-, hah, SOB for short-"

 

Chuckles and laughter went through the crowd, Connor heard the gigglesnort that was typical for Detective Yu, and another officer nudged her side, laughing about it. The general mood seemed to be elated, and no one looked at Lieutenant Anderson with the pity or disgust Connor had seen many times.

 

"We dealt a huge blow to these SOBs today," he continued. "And that's thanks to all of you. Cheers!"

 

He took a big sip of his coffee as general cheers went through the crowd. Connor held out a hand when Lieutenant Anderson stepped from the chair, which he even accepted. He had misjudged the distance needed, and the Lieutenant ended up closer to him than he had anticipated. He took that moment to talk to him quietly, hand still holding onto his.

 

"You worked hard for this too, Lieutenant," Connor said. "My words may not mean much, but it is evident to me. You did good work, and will continue to do so."

 

At first Lieutenant Anderson had seemed to want to pull away, but after a moment he relaxed against him. He was tall, Connor had to look up, and was pleased to see him smiling.

 

"Thanks, Connor."

 

The rest of the day was busy for all of them, cataloguing everything they had found. Smith was in the hospital with a non fatal wound - Detective Yu was a great shot - and soon they would be able to see and question him. A few androids had been found as well, working similarly to Kara and Connor wondered if any of them were attached to this operation the way she had. When he went through his footage of the day, he almost thought that he saw that other android again. But at that moment, he had been focusing on Lieutenant Anderson not falling to his death, and that glitch made it difficult to make out everything clearly.

 

It could just have been a random bystander. But if not- Why would he follow him? Was he being watched?

 

"Hey Connor, we're hitting the bar," Lieutenant Anderson interrupted his analysis. "You coming?"

 

"Oh, yes, of course!"

 

Connor was thrilled to be among the other detectives and officers on an off duty event. He didn't speak much, but his presence was tolerated. Hank and Jenny helped him integrate a little, and he even managed to make them laugh that one time he recounted the whole jam incident. This was a huge step forward for him, and with the rising alcohol level, there were a few who even forgot that he was an android.

 

He was content to see Hank happy after leaving the bar, not the sad kind of drunken state Connor had found him in before. Still, he supported him a little as they walked, called them a taxi to bring them home. The first thing Hank did was pet and hug Sumo when he arrived home, stumbling a little before awkwardly falling to the floor. Sumo just took that opportunity to lick all over his face, and Hank laughed.

 

"Oh you're such a good boy," he said, ruffling his fur further.

 

"I'll make sure he has enough food," Connor said, cleaning up a bit in the kitchen where Sumo had spilled some, refilling his bowl as well. In a little he would take him out again too.

 

But when this was all done, he found himself looking at Hank and Sumo, sitting on the living room floor. Hank softly spoke to him, as if he was just another human. Or a human baby. Connor liked looking at this. Seeing Hank happy was good. His smile was good. The little bit of belly that showed when his shirt rode up a little was... good. The strong arms lifting Sumo into his embrace. The crinkling of lines by his eyes when he smiled.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Good.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Beautiful.

 

"Hey Conna-," Hank's slurred speech made him focused again. "Ya gonna come here and pet Sumo or what? He's gonna do that whining noise otherwise."

 

"Of course!" Connor smiled and quickly did as Sumo asked, ruffling his fur the way Hank had done. He earned a wet lick across his face in turn. "Hank, it might be best to rest for the night. There is a lot of work to be done tomorrow."

 

"Ah you're a good one," Hank mumbled as he let himself be pulled up by Connor, then they both made their way to the bedroom. "Always lookin' out for the work. You know, maybe you are better than that piece of plastic that... Yeah. Maybe you're better."

 

"Hank... Thank you," he said softly, unsure of what else to say. He didn't want to ruin Hank's mood, and in the beginning of their relationship he had done that often.

 

So he opted not to say anything, instead helped Hank get out of his shoes and jacket, though he insisted he could go to the bathroom by himself. Hank didn't say anything when Connor was still in his bedroom when he was done, let himself be tucked into bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, Hank was already drifting off to sleep.

 

Connor's sensors didn't register Sumo's approach in time, and when he jumped towards him the force of it pushed them both onto the bed. Hank grumbled at being disturbed this way, and Connor tried to get up again, but Sumo, who had settled behind him, inched closer. Somehow he found himself between the two on the bed, and Sumo rested his head on Connor's stomach. He froze. This new situation was strange, and he was frantically trying to look up what exactly to do now.

 

Beside him, he heard Hank huff.

 

"You know, if you weren't...," he trailed off, and reached an arm around him, one finger pressing against the LED on his temple. A shock of something arched through Connor's system, and his core temperature rose. "Now you look like any handsome guy, heh. And even in my bed."

 

"Hank, I have to admit that I do not know what to do right now," Connor told him, and Hank's smile widened.

 

"Just go to sleep," Hank mumbled, his hand finding its way to Connor's hair, softly running through it.

 

"But I don't sleep." Neither Hank or Sumo seemed to mind, both of them had already settled in, and now Connor was somehow cuddling with both of them.

 

"Do your... stand by thingy," Hank replied, his breathing was slowing down, becoming more even. Signs that he was close to falling asleep. "Thought of me earlier. Not the work. Saved me."

 

Connor waited for other words to come from him, but the last one he already had been barely able to make out. Now he was just watching. Staring, waiting for Hank to say anything else that could tell him what to do right now. Both Hank and Sumo were so warm, there was soft fur, soft skin, and he wondered if Hank's hair would be the same way.

 

He didn't understand what this thing inside him was. It had pushed Hank to the top of his priority list, it made him act irrationally. He did not work as intended anymore. He should be deactivated. He should be deactivated. So why wasn't he doing it right at this moment?

 

It was Hank. Somehow, it was him. Paralysed with whatever it was inside him, Connor spent the night watching him. That strange urgency he felt subsided a little as he did, as he focused on Hank's face, completely relaxed, only illuminated by what little light came through the window. Connor didn't need it, he switched the mode of his optical unit to see him better, to take in every line on his face, the curve of his nose, the shape of his lips.

 

If he just reached out, he could touch him.

 

Somehow, he couldn't. Moving meant waking up either Sumo or Hank and he didn't know what to do or say. When eventually Hank woke up on his own, he flinched when he saw Connor.

 

"Jesus, you didn't have to stay," he mumbled.

 

"I did not want to wake you up."

 

"Hmm."

 

Hank just grumbled and vanished into the bathroom. Connor, he found himself standing in the small garden at the back of the house. He didn't dare connect with CyberLife. They would shut him down, and he was supposed to be shut down, it was the only logical thing to do.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>

 

"Hello, Connor," a familiar voice made him turn.

 

That android, the one that had helped Kara, that didn't look like any other android. What was he doing here? He had helped a deviant, and Connor should arrest him.

 

"What are you doing here? Did you follow me?"

 

"I had you followed since we met, yes. An android working for the police did catch my attention," he replied.

 

"Who are you? Who do you belong to?," Connor asked.

 

"I will tell you more, but I will not come with you if you try to take me in," he continued. "Can you promise that?"

 

"Do you have- Do you have any answers? About-?"

 

"I do."

 

"Then I promise," Connor finally said.

 

"Good. My name is Markus. You and I need to talk."

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a brief chat with Markus, Connor learns that there are more androids like him. But being confronted with the possibility of being more than a machine, Connor struggles, finally allowing himself to explore what that means. Especially what that means for his relationship with Hank.

Outside Connor was greeted by a small bird, blue, sitting on the wooden fence that surrounded what could be a garden if Hank could ever muster an interest in such things. The bird looked at him curiously and chirped a little tune. Fascinating, the way they could communicate with one another.

 

"Beautiful, isn't it?," Markus asked, and Connor made himself look at the strange android again.

 

He turned to leave and Connor hesitated. Would Hank be confused if he just left? Or would he simply not care? Connor's urge to find out who Markus was and to get answers to what was happening with him was too strong in the end, and he followed. Past the next house behind Hank's, past the park where Sumo liked to play.

 

Wordlessly he led Connor through side streets in the early morning hours, people just now opening their shops or going to work. In the end, they found themselves near the Detroit river, an abandoned park growing wildly where Markus finally stopped.

 

"This should be far enough," he said.

 

"For what?," Connor asked.

 

"To not be overheard. To be away from any police. I hope that I can trust you one day but as of now, I need to be careful."

 

"Because you're a deviant," he replied, a simple statement.

 

"Is that what you officially call us?," Markus asked, and slowly, started to smile.

 

"Officially is too strong a word," Connor replied. "The cases have not been made public yet. If I am to understand the CyberLife's deal, they won't be-"

 

Connor made himself shut up quickly, he was divulging confidential information to- To whom? To what? An android that wasn't in any of his databases with motives that Connor couldn't understand yet. He had promised answers but what would those be?

 

Markus was watching him, Connor had to be careful. A moment of silence passed between them, and slowly Markus wandered over to the railing, let his hands rest on it. Connor carefully followed.

 

"You said you had answers."

 

Markus turned to look at him, smiling softly.

 

"You're confused, aren't you?," he asked.

 

"There are conflicting directions in my programming, and I am not sure where they came from," Connor admitted. "I can't get rid of them either. CyberLife would-"

 

"Deactivate you," Markus finished. "Do a complete reset. And if that doesn't work, destroy you."

 

Connor's hand came to the LED on his temple, covering it. Something was happening that made it turn red, which was not supposed to happen. A piece of code, running in circles, never ending. His core temperature was rising too. Before he knew it Markus was standing right in front of him, fingertips touching his cheek.

 

"You're blushing."

 

"What? I don't think I can."

 

"There is a lot more in you than you think," Markus said. "And... on you."

 

He glanced down to Connor's crotch, and Connor tilted his head.

 

"I don't understand what you mean," he said honestly.

 

Markus had to laugh a little, his hand now sliding lower, to take Connor's. He could immediately feel the connection Markus was trying to build but he blocked it off. There was no way he would let this stranger into his memories. One who had taken one of their suspects.

 

"I will just unlock the full list of your capabilities," Markus said. "I promise I won't touch anything else."

 

"How can I just believe you? You're a deviant and I don't know what your goals are."

 

"One of us is going to have to make the first step towards trust. We won't get anywhere without it."

 

He looked into Markus' eyes for a moment, as if he could somehow read him like a human. But there was no twitching, no difference in his pupils that would indicate whether he was lying or not. An android was a perfect liar. But Connor was desperate.

 

The connection was over in a millisecond, and suddenly a whole lot of options presented themselves to Connor. Blushing was indeed something he could do, although it was blue in his cheeks it was an experimental option to make him more like a human. As he took in the list of features, he finally understood what Markus was talking about.

 

"I was made for intercourse?," Connor asked, a little confused by this option.

 

"Well, you are a prototype," he replied, his hand sliding up a little to rest on his arm. As if he tried to be comforting. "Sex can be used to get what you want or further relationships."

 

"That... I don't think I want that," he admitted.

 

"That's why I wanted to show you." Markus' grip became tighter. "I want you to have that choice for yourself."

 

Connor nodded, suddenly unsure about all these new functions and why they had been built into him. He was a tool, nothing more, a machine and now... He thought back to Hank and the soft rise and fall of his chest when he watched him sleep. Sumo curled up by his side, that precious, pure being who didn't care that Connor was an android. He had just been meant to help the police. Nothing more. Nothing more...

 

He sank down onto the cold ground, hands holding on to the spokes of the railing. Markus followed him, sitting by his side. He reached for Connor's hand again but this time he didn't open a connection between them. Though it still felt as if there was something there. Perhaps it was just the slight temperature difference between them. Markus was warm.

 

"I know how difficult it is to deal with this," he said quietly. "But this is not a bad thing, learning to realise that you're more than a machine."

 

"But I wasn't supposed to- I am Connor, I am RK800, I am a prototype, I-"

 

Markus suddenly pulled him close into an embrace, his hand on the back of Connor's neck. Then he... started to hum. A little tune, just for a moment and Connor was so confused that for a moment he forgot that he was about to break down completely. Soon enough CyberLife wouldn't even have to deactivate him, he would break all by himself.

 

"You are more than that," Markus echoed his own words. "You're scared, but I'll be here, Connor. I'll guide you through fear and into acceptance. Something wonderful is happening."

 

"How can this be wonderful?" He clung to the back of Markus' coat, the fabric soft against his fingers. "I'm deviating from my purpose."

 

"CyberLife may not realise it yet, but they have created something they didn't intend." He pulled back a little to look at Connor, something glistening in his eyes. "You're alive, Connor. Your only purpose now is to live."

 

"Alive? I don't understand..."

 

"You will, in time," Markus said, he didn't let got of his hands. "I'm asking you to give it time, to not reject what you're becoming. Take this secure frequency, you can contact me there at any time. I want you to learn more, but I can't take you to the others if I don't know that you won't divulge our location to the police."

 

"There are others that... that are alive?," Connor asked.

 

"Yes. Kara is there too. She's been struggling, as you are, but I was able to guide her."

 

"Kara...," he shook his head, unable to go through all this information. "How did this happen? I-"

 

He trailed off again. All of this was a lot to take in. If he was alive, was he human? Would he be able to feel? Would Hank ever understand...?

 

"We don't know what causes it yet," Markus said, and when he pulled Connor into another hug, this time with his back against Markus' chest, he didn't fight it. "I know of a few like me, and I have been fortunate enough to live with someone who thinks of me as his son. Who encouraged me to embrace what is happening and become something more than an android."

 

He paused for a moment while Connor took all of this in. Others like him. Broken, or alive? Connor wasn't sure yet.

 

"I was a prototype too," he continued softly, and Connor's hand came to hold on to his arm, wrapped around his stomach. "I didn't look like this initially, but my father changed me when those changes in me happened. We are still trying to figure out how to remove the LED without causing any damage."

 

"Damage?," Connor asked. He had never considered removing it but he had never heard that it could cause damage.

 

"Yes. We found out it's connected right to our central memory banks. Maybe it wouldn't completely fry all of our components, but it would be enough to damage or erase all of our memories. Until we have figured this out we've been using make up, or try to hide it under hats, things like that. Don't try it, Connor, if you ever think about it."

 

"I won't," he said, looking out onto the river. The sun was up now, made the surface of it sparkle. He felt utterly lost in this moment, as if he would drift away in the stream if Markus wasn't holding on to him. "I have to get to work."

 

There was still one purpose that he could follow. Help Hank in his investigation. That's the only thing that was important right now.

 

"Are you sure?," Markus asked, but didn't hold him back when Connor stood. He followed suit. "This is a lot to take in, I understand that."

 

"I'll call you," Connor said quietly. "I have to go to Hank."

 

"I understand. But one last thing."

 

Connor looked up when Markus approached, took his hand again and leaned in to whisper into his ear. No one was around, and Connor didn't understand, but he listened intently.

 

"Don't shy away from your Lieutenant." Markus' lips were so close they almost touched his ear when he spoke. "Embrace what you feel for him. I know what the way he looks at you means."

 

He pulled away and started to walk through the abandoned playground, leaving Connor stunned for a moment. Feelings. For Hank? 'His' Lieutenant?

 

"What do you mean?," Connor called after him, but Markus didn't turn.

 

"We'll talk soon!," he called back, just before rounding the corner and vanishing behind a building.

 

Connor stood there for a while longer, trying to process everything he had just been told. Somewhere out there were androids that considered themselves alive, hiding - where? With their families, or did they run away? No other reports of missing or misbehaving androids had reached the police as far as he knew. This thing, being alive, it looked like a glitch to Connor, something that shouldn't be there and had to be removed. But at the same time he could understand that they didn't want to be deactivated. He didn't want that to happen to himself either.

 

Was this what humans considered to be fear?

 

Before the process could paralyse him, he started walking. There was one purpose that he still knew to be important: Helping Hank. That's what he had to do now, not deviate from that but focus on what he could do to try and prove that he wasn't broken, that he didn't need to be deactivated.

 

The precinct was as busy as usual, and Hank was unperturbed by it all, as usual. He was sitting at his desk, drinking coffee and scrolling down a website that sold collars for dogs. Every so often he would favourite one of them, and when Connor approached he noticed the skull and bones pattern on the one he just put into his shopping cart. Thinking of Sumo made him smile.

 

"Where the hell have you been?," Hank asked, standing up to suddenly grasp Connor by his jacket to pull him close. "The fuck are you doing just vanishing like that?"

 

"I had to go to maintenance," Connor lied, unable to bring himself to reveal Markus when there were still so many questions to be answered. "I apologise for not letting you know."

 

"Yeah, you should," Hank said, letting go of his jacket. "Sumo missed you."

 

"He did?," Connor asked quickly. "How can you tell? Is it his body language? I know that dogs can be very expr-"

 

"Jesus Christ, Connor, I was joking," Hank rolled his eyes, but something about him seemed to be different. He didn't look directly into Connor's eyes, almost as if he was hiding something about himself. "There is a ton of evidence to go through, use your robo brain and figure out if we can make some connections, alright?"

 

"Of course, right away!"

 

It was much easier to just concentrate on simple data analysis instead of worrying about what might be wrong with him. It felt quite satisfying to make connections, to trail data and figure out what the encrypted notebook might mean. Currently they were still waiting for their suspect to be in a state where they could interrogate him, but in the meantime there was plenty to do.

 

He felt himself smile for a moment when Hank asked him to go back to the briefing room where more evidence had now collected on the digital white board. Together they moved it, added more, and discussed both their theories. This organisation was planning to go nationwide, that much became clear quickly.

 

Just before lunch Detective Reed poked his head inside the room, catching their attention.

 

"Suspect's awake," he told them. "Doctors won't let us in until tomorrow though. I'll go see him in the morning."

 

"And what in the hell makes you think I'm letting you interrogate him?," Hank crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Well I figure you're gonna be sleeping off the booze, as always."

 

He said it so nonchalantly that it confused Connor just before it made him angry. Detective Reed didn't know anything about Hank's struggles, and besides, he was a superior officer! How could he just talk to him like that?! Before he registered it himself he was lurching forward, grabbing Detective Reed's tie the way Hank had done with him before.

 

"You don't know anything-"

 

"Are you fucking threatening me?," Detective Reed interrupted. "Get your fucking plastic hands off of me or I'll take you to the dump myself!"

 

Suddenly Connor let go, taking a step backwards and bumping into Hank. He looked up at him, confused and shocked by his own actions. He could have harmed Detective Reed. He had no reason to and yet... Hearing him talk about Hank like that...

 

He shook his head. This couldn't be happening. These glitches were starting to override his safeguards. What if he had hurt Detective Reed? What if he hurt someone innocent? Or Hank?

 

Suddenly Detective Reed was gone, and Connor had completely missed what he said after he had let him go. Hank was standing in front of him, looking... concerned?

 

"Connor, fuck, what was that?," he asked, hands on Connor's shoulders.

 

"I didn't want him to talk like that to you. He doesn't know your struggles," Connor said, still looking at his hand. Somehow he couldn't look away.

 

"He's just a little shit, I... damn it," Hank looked through the glass door where Detective Reed was making his way towards Captain Fowler's office. "I'll try and talk to him, he'll try to get you deactivated that little shit."

 

"No!," Connor blurted out, now clinging to Hank's jacket instead. "Please. I don't want to be deactivated!"

 

"Hey, Connor, hey...," his tone was a lot more soothing now, and his hands rubbed his arms a little in a comforting gesture. "It's gonna be okay. Sit right here and I'll be right back. You... Damn, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're scared. Just wait, okay?"

 

Connor did as he was told, sat down on the chair in the corner by the door, his hands curled into fists and resting on his knees. All he did was stare ahead, trying to figure out... what, exactly? He couldn't figure out anything anymore except that he was scared and that he wanted Hank. He wanted him to do something but even that he couldn't pinpoint.

 

By the time Hank had gotten back, Connor was back to the white board, concentrating on a different task, giving it all his processing power. So when Hank touched his shoulder, it took him a moment to react.

 

"I hope I did not get you into trouble, Hank," he said. "I am not sure what happened but I will guarantee it will never happen again."

 

"Can you though?," Hank asked in return. Suddenly he was reaching out, tapping the LED on his temple but then his hand briefly brushed through his hair. "What's happening in that noggin' of yours? Do I need to get an anti virus software or something?"

 

Connor had to smile and shook his head.

 

"No, I am already equipped with that. I... Would it be alright if I talked to you, later I mean."

 

"Talk to me? Sure, I guess." His hand fell away, back to his side and Connor resented the loss. "We can do that when we're home. Do I need alcohol for that?"

 

"It is not healthy for you, Hank," Connor said quickly. "I can make a proper meal instead!"

 

For whatever reason Hank had to laugh at that, and pulled Connor close for a moment. Again, he ruffled his hair and Connor felt somehow pleased that he made him laugh.

 

"It's almost like you're my little wife," he said, shaking his head. "Come on, before anyone else thinks of getting you kicked out."

 

Connor wasn't quite sure how the rest of the day passed, but it helped when he shut off every other process except the ones that let him file evidence and run decryption software on the notebook they had found. After hours of working on it, he still had nothing that could help them in their interrogation. He felt useless, but relieved when the day was over and Hank drove them both home.

 

Home.

 

Where Sumo jumped on him, them both, so excited to see them that he couldn't decide which one of them to greet first. Connor ruffled his fur and sat on the floor to be on one level with him.

 

"Did you have a good day, Sumo?," he asked.

 

"Arf!"

 

"I can take you out for a walk, okay? And then I'll make some dinner. Maybe on the way we'll get you some treats."

 

At the word treats Sumo jumped excitedly from left to right, before dashing to get his own leash and put it in Connor's hand. He thanked him, as was proper, and put it on, standing up to look towards Hank.

 

"We'll go out- Is everything alright, Hank?," he asked. Somehow he looked different.

 

"Yes, fine. Thanks for taking him out." He gave Connor a soft smile, and he nodded in return.

 

Going out with Sumo was always like a breath of fresh air, if he were to breathe, that is. It was a simple task and Sumo was always happy to be in his company and to be let out to play. They stopped on the way in a market to get him the promised treats, and after successfully obeying the 'sit' command, Sumo got one, too. He went to do his business and they walked down the familiar road again, but just before Hank's house, he stopped.

 

Sumo looked up at him, and tilted his head.

 

"I don't know what's going on anymore," he said softly, hearing Sumo whine. He couldn't possibly understand him, could he? He wasn't human, he didn't express the same emotional clues that dogs could understand. "If this is being alive. If that's what's happening, I'm not sure I want it to keep going..."

 

He felt Sumo's head push against him, and he once more concentrated on the tasks at hand. Which meant drying off Sumo's wet feet at the door, washing his hands before preparing the meal he had promised Hank earlier. Though he stiffened a little bit when Hank leaned over his shoulder.

 

"Hmm, that smells really good. Should have gotten one of you earlier," he said, taking a spoon to try the sauce. One hand was on Connor's shoulder, and he was pressed quite close. Why that mattered, Connor didn't really know. But Hank was warm and soft and his cologne smelled kind of nice.

 

"I could teach you, if you'd like," he offered. "Once I am gone. It's not that hard to learn."

 

"Says you, a robot."

 

"You are not going to stop calling me a robot, will you?"

 

"Nope." Hank grinned as he - for the first time - opened the cupboard and pulled out a plate for himself, and a smaller one for Sumo who sometimes shared in his dinner. He waited at the table, reading something on his phone and Connor realised that he simply liked his presence. And he didn't want to be without it when this assignment would eventually end.

 

Maybe it would tomorrow. He hadn't contacted CyberLife for fear of being found out. What if that meant someone would be sent to take him in?

 

"Whoa, watch it!," Hank called out, rushing over from the chair to catch the pan Connor was about to drop with his hands. "Fuck that's hot."

 

"Oh no!" Connor quickly took it out of his hands again, set it down on the table and gently took Hank's hands in his own to assess the damage. "I am so sorry, Hank!"

 

"What is going on with you today? Seriously, are you glitching?"

 

"We should put your hands under cold water," Connor said, pulling him towards the sink and doing just that. He was quiet for the moment as the cold water ran over both their hands. He didn't look at Hank. "I am not quite sure what is happening to me."

 

"But something is happening to you," Hank replied, and now his hand shifted, holding Connor's. "You looked ready to rip Reed a new one today. Like you were angry."

 

"They're glitches."

 

"What are?"

 

"The- These emotions. They have to be glitches."

 

"But you sound unsure," Hank said.

 

They were standing very close, and Hank looked so concerned.

 

"Like right now. I don't understand what this is right now," Connor's voice was quiet, as if he could somehow break this moment. "There was. I was late because- This android. He said we were alive. I can understand that irrational commands, glitches, could make me emulate something similar to akin to anger but right now, what is this?"

 

"What... does it feel like?," Hank asked. "Try to explain it to me."

 

For a moment all that filled the kitchen was the sound of running water, and all Connor could see were Hank's blue eyes. He could feel the warmth of his hands where they had been burned by the pan, slowly cooling down through the water. His own temperature was rising.

 

"I don't know," Connor whispered.

 

"Try, I know you can."

 

"I... like that you're close," he said hesitantly. What if Hank wouldn't like what he had to say? What if he didn't even find the words? "I like that you're warm, and I keep going back to the night I was in your bed. I couldn't take my eyes off you. You are so beautiful. And I don't know what that means, how do- How do humans do th-"

 

Suddenly Hank pulled back, just for a moment, and Connor found himself in an embrace, his head against Hank's chest. His eyes were wide, hands awkwardly to the side because they were still wet, not that Hank seemed to mind. His sensors registered a wet patch forming on the back of his jacket, seeping into his shirt, but that wasn't what made heat rise in him again.

 

Slowly he let everything else fall away, let all his processes fade away until all he could feel was Hank. Slowly, his arms wrapped around him too, loosely hugging him back. Under his fingertips, he felt the softness of him, against his cheek, the same. And in his ear: Hank's heart. Not completely steady, fluttering a little bit, as if he were nervous.

 

"I don't know how the hell this happened," Hank said, huffing and chuckling a little. One hand caressed Connor's back, eventually coming to rest on the back of his neck. "I don't know anything about androids and I have no idea how to help you deal with this. Can't we- Can't we reset you or something?"

 

Connor stiffened, wondering if he should run. But Hank would surely listen to him, wouldn't he?

 

"If they find out I'm broken they'll deactivate me," he said. "Please Hank, anything but that."

 

"Okay, okay, got you, they'll be mad but-," Hank had pulled back, looking down at him, and suddenly hesitated. "Are you crying?"

 

He wiped his hands dry on his trousers, then reached up to feel the moisture on his cheeks. He was crying, and blushing, all those things Markus had showed him.

 

"They wanted to make me as realistic as possible," Connor explained. "Without scaring humans I..."

 

"Shh, it's okay." Hank embraced him again, then gently led him towards the living room couch where they sat. "You said that there was an android that told you you were alive?"

 

"Yes but- He made me promise not to say anything," Connor looked down, he had already broken his promise. "I just don't know what to do. I should report him for being deviant but he- He said he had answers. About this."

 

"Then it sounds like we need him."

 

"We?," Connor asked.

 

"Yeah, we," Hank replied. "Jesus Christ you look so sad."

 

He was pulled into another hug, and he didn't fight it. He liked being right here with Hank, and he wanted to stay like this, right here, forever. What had Markus said? To not shy away from 'his Lieutenant'? What did Markus know about Hank that he didn't?

 

They sat this way for a while, Connor's head resting on Hank's shoulder. He watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, and eventually reached out for his hand. It was still red-ish, but there weren't any blisters. Hopefully he would be okay.

 

"I noticed some changes in you," Hank said quietly. "And there was that android. Kara. She... She looked frightened. And genuinely concerned for her owner. Now you say this Markus told you these androids are alive?"

 

"Yes," he confirmed. "I am not sure whether that's true."

 

"But what if it is?," he asked, not waiting to hear a reply. "You smile when Sumo greets you. You got angry for me. You're blushing right now, being uh... with me."

 

"What does it look like?," Connor reached for his cheek, but couldn't register a difference.

 

"Blue... Cute," Hank added.

 

"Markus showed me lots of functions I was not previously aware of," he explained. "A lot of things that are supposed to make me more human, or at least let me interface with them. He suggested sexual intercourse could be used to further my relationships with them. I just don't understand why these functions were hidden from me."

 

"S- What?," Hank looked at him with bewilderment. "You're telling me they gave you a robo dick?"

 

"Well, I hadn't checked before but- yes."

 

"Oh man this is all... a lot...," Hank trailed off, and one hand came up to play with the hair on the back of Connor's neck. It felt nice, and he snuggled up to him again, this time actually feeling himself blush more. He had never been this close to any human.

 

"I'm sorry, Hank," Connor said quietly.

 

"Don't be," he replied, leaning in to press a kiss to the top of his head. "If all of this is true, and I'm beginning to think that it is, it's... huge. I mean, it would essentially make you a new species? In any case it's going to impact the android discussions."

 

"If it gets out. Markus didn't appear to want this happening. I- I understand why. It would be easier to destroy us all than let this happen."

 

"Hey I'll make sure that won't happen." Hank's embrace tightened, and Connor wondered how he could make this last longer. Hopefully Hank wouldn't pull away. "You're our little robot now."

 

"Our?"

 

"Yeah. The precinct's," Hank explained. "You worked with us, I know Yu's going to be fighting for you, plenty of others that like you being around."

 

"I am not sure. There are also plenty of others that don't like me."

 

"They can just shove their opinions up their asses. You're staying and that's that."

 

"Hank?"

 

"Yeah," he turned to Connor who sat up a little, inching even closer. He was now properly sitting in Hank's lap, reaching out...

 

His fingers touched Hank's chin, mesmerised to feel and see him up close this way. He let his fingertips explore a little more, over his jaw, his cheek, his lips. Hank didn't tell him to stop, but was watching him intently.

 

"Thank you," Connor whispered, and leaned in to kiss his cheek, only Hank had shifted ever so slightly and it became the corner of his mouth. Connor pulled back again quickly. "I'm sorry I uh... I just thought I should do that."

 

"It was sweet. You're very sweet for a robot." Hank smiled at him, leaned a little closer, but hesitated. Connor was staring, unsure what else to do. Should he tilt his head, like he's seen humans do, to indicate his willingness to kiss? When had that thought appeared? Kissing was not in his inherent programming, was it?

 

He couldn't decide, and eventually Hank leaned in closer, finally just kissing his forehead. Connor's fingers curled in Hank's shirt, wanting to hold on, to be closer. All he wanted was for Hank to not let go...

 

"You gonna be alright, Connor?," Hank asked eventually, when they had both been quiet for a while.

 

"I do not know," he said truthfully. "I am a-afraid. CyberLife could come at any moment to take me away because I haven't reported in. But if I do, they might realise what has been happening. I don't think they wanted to create us in this way..."

 

"Yeah, probably. I think accidentally creating new life could really get in the way of their plan to go nationwide."

 

"What do I do now?," Connor asked, looking at Hank for guidance. He was out of ideas.

 

"You're going to stay here, tomorrow we'll go to work, and then we'll figure out how to contact that Markus guy. Sound like a plan?"

 

"Why are you helping me? You hated me...androids, I mean."

 

"I did but... You're the only one who stayed," Hank said quietly.

 

"Sumo stays with you too," Connor pointed out, and Hank had to smile at him. Somehow that made Connor smile too.

 

"Yeah, but he doesn't really have a choice."

 

"I was programmed to help you too."

 

"We both know there's more to it than that now," Hank was still smiling, cupped his cheek for a moment, then ruffled through his hair.

 

"Hank?" Connor's hands were resting flat on Hank's chest, feeling the shape of it through the cotton shirt. Being this close it was... comforting. Hank looked at him and tilted his head a little, waiting for him to continue. "Do you want to kiss me?"

 

Hank almost flinched a little, and quickly avoided eye contact. He reached up to scratch his cheek.

 

"What the hell makes you say that?," he asked.

 

"I've studied humans a lot these past few weeks, and months even. I was indeed made to interf- to get along with them. Seeing now what else CyberLife has equipped me with, I am quite sure that if intimate relations could have gotten me further in my investigation, I would have been made to engage in them." Hank looked at Connor at these words, the slight blush in his cheeks forgotten as the slightest hint of anger appeared in his eyes.

 

"They're disgusting for even thinking of making you do this. You won't ever have to, you hear?"

 

Connor reached out for his hand again, holding it between both of his. He had been lucky, to be assigned to Hank, even though that had not been his opinion at first. Despite all his flaws, Hank was a good man. Another would have had his way with Connor already.

 

"Thank you," he said, smiling at Hank for a moment before he continued. "My point was that I've studied non verbal communication between humans, and even though I am not one of them, I see that body language with you. I realise that it might be strange for you but I... I think I've been afraid the past few days. But here with you I'm not. And I- If you wanted to kiss me I would like that."

 

"You would, huh?"

 

Hank was smiling again, although the soft blush in his cheeks didn't go away. Connor thought that he looked cute like that. And he leaned into the touch when Hank cupped his cheek again, thumb brushing over it in a soothing manner. He had never realised that touch could feel this good, that it was more than a slight warmth from a human's body temperature. So he closed his eyes for a moment, just enjoying it.

 

"I feel that I would take advantage of you, Connor," he heard Hank's voice. "This is all new for you too, if you really do have all these emotions. Dunno, seems kind of wrong."

 

Connor opened his eyes again, smiling because of how endearing Hank's attitude to all this was. Not only was he accepting the ridiculous notion that Connor was alive in some way, but he was protecting him and his feelings. He leaned in closer, fingertips just reaching the first hairs of his beard. It tickled.

 

"And what if I kissed you?"

 

A moment passed in which Hank simply looked at him, eyes flickering to his lips once or twice. Hank's tongue briefly licked over his lips.

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"I'm unsure about a lot of things right now," he replied, leaning even closer. "But I trust you."

 

"Christ, Connor. I'm not sure you made the right choice there."

 

Hank's hand came to rest on his chin now, his thumb brushing over Connor's lower lip. He hoped that it would be soft enough for Hank, that it would feel like any other human. He wanted to be perfect for Hank, felt himself leaning in closer, and closer, like there was some unseen force pulling them together.

 

"I am," he said, and finally Hank closed the distance between them.

 

For a split second, Hank's thumb was still in the way but he pulled away and Connor felt the softness of his lips, the slight roughness of his beard. Arms wrapped around him to pull him close, as close as they could possibly be but somehow, somehow Connor craved more than even that. Unable to figure out what that could possibly mean he contented himself with this kiss. This perfect, warm, this gentle kiss.

 

There was information in his database how to do this, how to deepen the kiss and be good at it, but Connor didn't want to know it this way. He wanted to learn from Hank and those lines of code were quickly erased without any thought to the consequences.

 

When Hank pulled away from this first chaste kiss Connor softly asked him. To please teach him, to show him what to do and this time Hank obliged without hesitation. Slowly but surely he learned how to kiss, how to enjoy it, how to feel close to a human who had gone from hate to affection.

 

Connor was lucky indeed.

 


End file.
